According to Pinellas school district numbers, Lakewood has had the fewest COVID-19 cases of all six high schools in St. Petersburg.
BY ROHEY BARROW
SNN Staff Writer
The Lakewood administration is doing just about everything it can to keep students and staff safe from getting the coronavirus. But even with the mandatory masks and social distancing, two people – one student and a teaching intern - have gotten infected.
One of the cases led to two teachers, one campus monitor and 42 other students being sent home for two weeks while just one person was quarantined for the second case, according to principal Erin Savage.
“I knew us coming back would result in (this). The virus is very unpredictable, so it was only a matter of time,” school resource officer Julian Battiest said.
In the first case, junior Caitlyn Agostine got her positive test result on a Monday in mid-September and immediately contacted one of her teachers, who informed Savage, but no was quarantined until Friday. Savage said she had to gather documentation, including seating charts for classrooms and the bus, to send to the Department of Health. Some paperwork had to be resubmitted because it was not completely accurate, but as soon as she received letters from the health department everyone who had to be quarantined was.
“A few parents were angry (and) staff members were concerned,” Savage said
Agostine said she probably got the virus from her job at a grocery store, because she thinks many of the other staff members wear their masks incorrectly.
Agostine’s entire first period yearbook class was sent home, including the teachers. She said she didn’t understand why in one of her classes, all the students had to go home, while in other classes only a few students were quarantined.
“I thought that was weird, because more people should’ve been quarantined,” Agostine said.
Most students who had to go home and be quarantined understood why they had to do online school for two weeks, but some were upset because they were in sports and wouldn’t be able to participate during that time.
“It was weird and made me mad not being able to play in the first game of this year for baseball and missing a few practices,” said sophomore Jonnie Whelan, a pitcher and first baseman for the Lakewood fall baseball team.
Agostine said she was surprised she tested positive because she was only suffering from mild symptoms, including a runny nose and headaches. While she was home, she did online school and was quarantined in her bedroom, away from her family until she got her negative test result. She said her family brought her food and drinks and when she went to the bathroom, she had to wear two masks and not touch anything.
Agostine’s two journalism teachers, Kathleen Tobin and Jade Shiver, also were quarantined but continued teaching from home so students did not miss any learning.
“It was actually a relief to be able to teach from home,” Shiver said. “I didn’t have to wear a mask.”
The Spanish intern, Laura Harris, tested positive Oct. 14 and was immediately quarantined. Harris has been back since Oct. 27. No one else was quarantined because she stayed at least six feet away from her students by staying in her teacher bubble in the front of the classroom, according to Savage.
Savage said it was recommended at the beginning of the year that all teachers always stay at least six feet away from their students at all times by not walking around and staying at their socially distanced desks, but in classes like art and photojournalism teachers need to move around to help their students.
Savage is happy that there’s only been two cases because other schools in Pinellas County have had double the umber of cases Lakewood has had in their first week of school. (See chart above for comparison.)
“I am very surprised that we’ve had so few cases,” she said. “I think the numbers will grow a little. I’m hoping not a whole lot though.”
About 170 students returned from online school when the second quarter started. Most classrooms had to adjust, resulting in desks being closer together, which is a higher risk.
“Hopefully, parents and families are monitoring the daily activities of their children outside of school as well as their health before sending them to school so that they are not unknowingly or accidentally putting others in danger,” Savage said.
Students and staff aren’t required to get tested if they’re quarantined, but if they’re feeling sick they should stay home for 10-14 days and decide if they want to get tested based on whether they still feel sick or not.
“We as people just have to be cautious and be mindful of clean habits,” school resource officer Eduardo Rivera said.
