ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A local teacher said they are concerned Orange County Public Schools is not being transparent about COVID-19 cases.
The teacher said the district is being “secretive” and “heavy-handed.”
The teacher said they chose face-to-face learning for their students because they think it’s best for both the teacher and the student.
The teacher remained anonymous after Eyewitness News confirmed the teacher’s name and school, and that they were on paid leave after testing positive for COVID-19.
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“I feel like OCPS is being very secretive and kind of heavy-handed about how it wants things to be handled when it comes to COVID,” the teacher said.
The teacher is not one of the 54 students and staff that OCPS reports tested positive for COVID-19 since Aug. 21, the first day of face-to-face instruction. However, they worry that after their experience, the public is not getting information fast enough.
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“In my case, it was at least a week and a half after I reported it to the district that our school finally got on a list. To me that’s not adequate,” the teacher said. “To me, that’s not enough.”
The teacher wants OCPS to be transparent, but also quick.
“If you’re a parent or teacher concerned about information at a certain site, the information is not real time,” they said. “So I believe there should be a daily reporting. Every day, OCPS when they get reports of cases, they should report that day.”
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According to the district, the 34 schools and four work locations with positive COVID-19 cases are:
East River High School
Lakeview Middle School
Piedmont Lake Middle School
Positive Pathways
Spring Lake Elementary School
Bonneville Elementary School
Clay Springs Elementary School
College Park Middle School
John Young Elementary School
Lake Como K-8
Rock Springs Elementary School
Sunset Park Elementary School
Millennia Gardens Elementary School
NorthLake Park Community School
Ocoee Middle School
Southwest Middle School
Discovery Middle School
Evans High School
Riverside Elementary School
Winter Park High School
Apopka Middle School
Horizon West Middle School
Lake Silver Elementary School
Pine Hills Elementary School
Edgewater High School
Oak Ridge High School
Olympia High School
Orlo Vista Elementary School
Sally Ride Elementary School
Shenandoah Elementary School
Innovation Middle School
Meadow Woods Middle School
Robinswood Middle School
University High School
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