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Dr. Maria Vazquez (00:09):
Hello, I'm Maria Vasquez, Superintendent of Orange County Public Schools. This week on Mondays with Maria, I want to talk about three timely topics that I've heard you want to know more about. First, you've most likely have seen news reports about a person who was on a school campus that was diagnosed with monkeypox. I want to assure you, anyone who was potentially exposed to that person was notified and was able to have direct communication with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County to ask any questions they had. And I want to thank FDOH for their support and their continued partnership. According to the Centers for Disease Control, monkeypox does not spread easily between people and primarily spreads through close personal contact, such as skin to skin with someone who has monkeypox. Exposure to an individual with MONKEYPOX does not require quarantine. However, if symptoms develop, it is recommended that you isolate and contact your doctor.
Dr. Maria Vazquez (01:16):
All of this information is available [email protected] and on the CDC website. The second topic is the increase in students making threats against other students or their school. Although I did address this in a Connect Orange message last week, it bears repeating. Some students continue to think this is a joke or a prank. It's not. We take it very seriously and students may get a visit to their home from law enforcement, and I'm sure no one wants that. Also, the consequences include suspension and or expulsion from school and even arrest. The amount of time, resources, and undue stress is tasking by everyone involved, and it's not taken lightly. Please take a moment to talk to your children about the expectations and remember to check their backpacks. Third, I'm very pleased to see that the Fortify Florida app is being used to report any suspicious activity.
Dr. Maria Vazquez (02:25):
Last week, a person was taken into custody for having a weapon on one of our campuses. I can't stress enough how life altering this can be for someone when they bring a prohibited item onto our campuses. Our district police and our law enforcement partners are working around the clock to keep everyone safe, and I appreciate all of their hard work. So your partnership and speaking with your child will help ensure that we maintain an orderly and positive working and learning environment. Thank you all for watching. A reminder that last week, the first progress reports were released for your child. So I hope everyone has logged into Skyward to check out their students' progress. If you need help accessing the parent portal, there are many resources on our website, ocps.net. We have also pushed out links on our social media channels on how to use the platforms to help monitor your child's progress. Thank you again, and I will see you next week on Mondays with Maria.