Baldwin County Schools release COVID absences report

Staff Report
Posted 8/14/20

Baldwin County Public Schools released the transparency report on COVID absences in Baldwin County Schools on Thursday, Aug. 13. The numbers reflected people who were absent or sent home for a number …

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Baldwin County Schools release COVID absences report

Posted

Baldwin County Public Schools released the transparency report on COVID absences in Baldwin County Schools on Thursday, Aug. 13. The numbers reflected people who were absent or sent home for a number of reasons related to COVID. While some of those reflected in the numbers have tested positive, others merely showed symptoms or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID.

The numbers include both students and employees. Information released will not be broken down further due to privacy issues.

Baldwin County High School - 12

Bay Minette Elementary School - 5

Bay Minette Middle School - 3

Belforest Elementary School - 2

Daphne High School - 9

Daphne Middle School - 2

Elberta Elementary - 1

Elsanor Elementary School - 1

Fairhope East Elementary School - 4

Fairhope High School - 6

Fairhope Middle School - 2

Foley Elementary School - 6

J. Larry Newton School - 3

Magnolia School - 4

Orange Beach Middle/High School - 2

Pine Grove Elementary School - 10

Robertsdale Elementary School - 3

Silverhill Elementary School - 3

Spanish Fort High School - 11

Summerdale School - 5

W. J. Carroll Intermediate School - 2

It was stressed in the email sent out from the Baldwin County Public Schools staff that the report combined all previous days into one report, therefore it would not necessarily match previous emails sent out by principals to parents. Going forward, new instances will be reported per day, not cumulative.

According to the email, approximately 90% of people reflected on the list never entered into any public schools. Parents have been calling their child’s school to let staff know why their child is absent so they will not be marked as “no-shows” and forfeit their class schedule.

Parents will be notified at the school level in the evenings. For secondary, parents will be notified only by the principal. For elementary, parents will be notified by both the principal school-wide and the teacher for that classroom.

The email stressed, “As a reminder, we are treating our schools as though we have COVID-19 students in our building every day because the vast majority of children under 15 are asymptomatic. We are cleaning our classrooms and facilities multiple times a day with hospital-grade cleaners, just as we are with our buses and equipment. Our students are wearing masks or face shields at all times while on campus unless they are performing a specific task. We check temperatures and monitor for symptoms of all employees and students throughout the day. We are social distancing where appropriate, washing our hands and sanitizing throughout the day as well. All of this is being done every day, regardless of whether the school has had any reported absences related to COVID-19.”