Admin
Olympia HS will temporarily close campus
Posted on 09/06/2020
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Orange County Public Schools and the Florida Department of Health in Orange County announced to parents and staff of Olympia High School that they will shift the entire school to LaunchEd@Home starting Tuesday, Sept. 8 until Friday, Sept. 18. All 922 face-to-face students and 190 staff members will return to campus on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. There will also be no extracurricular or co-curricular activities. This decision is out of an abundance of caution after several positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed and connected through FDOH contact tracing.  
 
In consultation with the FDOH in Orange County, the campus will close for two weeks in an effort to reduce any further spread of COVID-19 on campus. Currently there are 156 students and staff that have been identified as having direct contact with the 6 individuals who tested positive and one pending. According to FDOH, these cases are a result of community spread and not spread at school. The Florida Department of Health in Orange County provided specific information to the families directly impacted. Information related to any individual’s medical history is confidential and protected by law.
 
LaunchED@Home is the same educational model that was used by all at the beginning of the school year in order to prepare for a situation such as this, and what the majority of Olympia High students and teachers are already using. Meantime, the entire campus will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. That process started with the confirmation of the first case on August 31, 2020.  The health and safety of our students and staff is OCPS’ top priority. 
 
In addition, the Department of Health will be offering free drive-thru COVID-19 testing in the parking lot of Olympia High School through a mobile testing unit. Priority will be given to those in quarantine.  The school will provide details as they become available. This is exclusively for Olympia High School students and staff members who have been on campus and need to be tested. We encourage concerned families to take advantage of this precautionary screening opportunity.
 
Due to the closure, breakfast and lunch will be available for pick-up at Chain of Lakes Middle School beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will continue through Friday, Sept. 18. Parents must provide a student ID with name and ID number to pick up their student’s FREE meals. 
 
 (For more information, please contact Media Relations at 407.317.3458 or [email protected]