More Orange County high school football games canceled due to COVID-19 cases
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ Two local high school football games that were supposed to happen Friday night have been canceled due to positive COVID-19 cases, according to Orange County Public Schools. The affected games are: Freedom High School vs. East River High School and Ocoee High School vs. Celebration High School. The Ocoee game has been canceled due to contact tracing at Celebration, which played against Freedom last week. Games involving Evans High School vs. West Orange High School and Edgewater High vs. Wekiva High have also been canceled earlier this season. Orange County football players are required to get rapid coronavirus testing before games.
West Orange High School reopens after positive cases of COVID-19
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ Students and staff members at West Orange High School are returning to class on Thursday after the campus shut down due to about a dozen positive cases connected to campus. West Orange High School is the second school to shutdown after Olympia High School reported several positive cases last month. Live at 6:30 a.m. @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/J19mJRI1B1 โ Ezzy Castro (@EzzyCastro) October 1, 2020Meantime, several football players at Edgewater High School recently tested positive for the virus, according to Superintendent Dr. Barbara Jenkins. Jenkins said a football game scheduled for Oct. 2 between Edgewater High School and Wekiva High School has been canceled as a precaution. โEdgewater High School team had a couple of cases, one of them was in the rapid testing the other was symptomatic,โ she said.
West Orange football plays despite campus closing due to COVID-19
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ There was concern the West Orange High School vs. Boone High School football game would not happen. Last week Orange County school district temporarily closed West Orange High School and pivoted students to online learning. District leaders announced 10 people at the high school tested positive for COVID-19, and 158 were told to quarantine and banned extra-curricular activities. OCPS issued a statement and cleared the West Orange High School football team to play against Boone high school. The game was moved to Boone High School and West Orange high school students were not allowed to attend.
Health department gives West Orange High School green light to reopen earlier, play football
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ The West Orange High School campus will reopen to in-person learning about four days earlier than expected after the Florida Department of Health notified school leaders that those possibly exposed to coronavirus will finish their quarantines by the end of September. West Orange shifted to virtual learning only on Sept. 21 after at least 10 COVID-19 were confirmed from staff and/or students. Principal Matt Turner notified West Orange High School families in a ConnectOrange call on Tuesday that the school would reopen Oct. 1. The high school also plans to participate in the upcoming game against Boone High School on Friday at 7 p.m. Until West Orange reopens on Oct. 1, football teams will hold practices at a county park.
West Orange High School preparing for 2 weeks of online learning after COVID-19 cases
A parent of a student at West Orange High School said a move to entirely virtual schooling over the next two weeks is necessary, but there still are reservations. The move is coming after school district leaders said there were at least 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Paul Oteng has a senior at West Orange and said his daughterโs safety means the most. โThrough contact tracing, the Florida Department of Health is issuing 159 quarantine letters at West Orange High School," OCPS said to parents. โIโm still not going to send her back,โ said Jeniffer Grafals, a parent of a student at Olympia High School.
โThe new normal is be flexible:โ School board member says after campus closes due to COVID-19 cases
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ The Orange County School District confirmed 10 positive cases of COVID-19 and at least two pending cases have made West Orange High School officials switch to virtual learning for two weeks. โThis is not an easy situation, this is very tough on parents, very tough on teachers, and itโs very tough on our students,โ Gould said. Eric Schwalbach is a West Orange parent with a son who plays on the football team. โMy son has already been launchED, our football team has already been through this inconvenience so we already had to make the adjustment,โ Schwalbach said. The West Orange football team has already dealt with a setback after five members on Evans High school football team tested positive for COVID-19 and resulted in the cancellation of the Thursday nights game.
West Orange High temporarily closes campus after positive COVID-19 cases
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ Orange County Public Schools announced on Friday West Orange High School will move to virtual learning for two weeks for all students due to 10 positive coronavirus cases within the campus community. Earlier this week, OCPS canceled a football game between Evans High and West Orange High after five players, coaches or trainers for Evans tested positive. School officials said the department of health will offer free drive-thru coronavirus testing in the parking lot of West Orange High School through a mobile testing unit. This testing is for West Orange High School students and staff members who have been on campus and need to take a COVID-19 test, according to OCPS. The district said West Orange High School will not be serving meals during the next two weeks.
Coach says health comes first after Evans vs. West Orange game canceled due to COVID-19 cases
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ Orange County Public Schools officials announced Thursdayโs game between Evans High School and West Orange High School has been canceled after five positive COVID-19 cases. The district said five positive coronavirus cases resulted in the quarantine of players, coaches, and trainers with Evans High School. โRight now we have been shut down for 14 days, who knows what is going to happen when we come back,โ Coach Mitchell said. Eric Schwalbach said his son is a linebacker on West Orange high schoolโs football team, and that the call to cancel the game was a common-sense move. Ultimately Coach Mitchell said the health of his team is a top priority.