Skip To Main Content

COVID Info (Updated 3/21/2024)

The safety of our students, staff, and families is the top priority of the Gainesville City School System.

We have developed a multi-pronged approach to prioritize health. This approach includes utilizing training and screening protocols, implementing preventative measures, and planning for responses to confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in order to keep students and staff as safe as possible.
 
The following guidelines have been updated based on recent Department of Public Health guidance, transmission rates within the district, and the academic and mental health well-being of our students.   
 

Prevention

  • Frequent handwashing will be encouraged.
  • Classrooms will be equipped with cleaning supplies.
  • Students and staff are encouraged to bring their own water and can use water filling stations for refills.
  • Enhanced cleaning strategies will be utilized in schools and on buses.

Illness Protocols

  • Students or staff members who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 should contact the Principal, Assistant Principal, or School Nurse immediately.
  • Staff members or students with a confirmed case of Covid-19 will be provided will be provided with further instructions and may return to school with improvement of symptoms and no fever without fever reducing medicine for 24 hours.

HANDWASHING

Follow Five Steps to Wash Your Hands the Right Way (source: CDC)

Washing your hands is easy, and it is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community—from your home and workplace to schools and hospitals.

Follow these five steps every time.

  1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
  2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
  3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
  4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
  5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

Use Hand Sanitizer When You Can’t Use Soap and Water

You can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. 

How to use hand sanitizer:

  1. Apply the gel product to the palm of one hand (read the label to learn the correct amount).
  2. Rub your hands together.
  3. Rub the gel over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. This should take around 20 seconds.