COVID-19 temporarily closes Olympia High

Olympia High will be closing for two weeks following several positive COVID-19 cases, Orange County Public Schools officials said.

All students and staff will shift to the LaunchEd@Home model for two weeks. OCPS and the Florida Department of Health in Orange County made the announcement Sunday, Sept. 6. The decision, they said, was made out of an abundance of caution after several positive COVID-19 cases were confirmed and connected through FDOH contact tracing.  

Face-to-face students and staff will make the temporary transition beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8. All 922 face-to-face students and 190 staff members will return to campus Sept. 21.

"Currently, there are 156 students and staff that have been identified as having direct contact with the six individuals who tested positive and one pending," OCPS stated. "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."

The entire campus will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, OCPS said, and the FODH will soon be offering free drive-thru COVID-19 testing in the school parking lot through a mobile testing unit. Testing priority goes to those in quarantine, and all testing is exclusively for Olympia High students and staff members who have been on campus and need to be tested. The school will provide details as they become available.