Central Florida schools prepare for more call-outs as students return from winter break

Students in Seminole, Flagler, and Marion counties return to school Wednesday. Orange County students went back on Tuesday only to find many of their peers and school employees out sick.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. - Students in Seminole, Flagler, and Marion counties return to school Wednesday. Orange County students went back on Tuesday only to find many of their peers and school employees out sick.

FOX 35 is working to find out if there are a large number of call-outs in Seminole County schools.

With COVID cases on the rise, officials say they will be putting some measures into place, but masks for adults isn’t one of them.

This as other Central Florida schools report a high rate of staff sick calls. The district says they wlll continue to sanitize and stay in touch with the health department about contact tracing and other safety procedures. They also say Seminole County will expand COVID testing appointments as they expect to increase demand as school resumes.

Orange County began the week with more than 866 students and 309 employees testing positive for COVID according to their COVID-19 dashboard. Hundreds of teachers and bus drivers called out.

The superintendent said parents should plan for even more call-outs. State law says you can not require students to wear masks, but Seminole County is encouraging it.

In Orange County adults are required to wear masks in hopes of keeping their staff from getting sick.