With coronavirus cases in schools, pediatricians ask parents to stay vigilant

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact the state, officials report that about 60% of students in Florida have returned to classrooms. That’s about 1.8 million children and teenagers.

Dr. Ronald Ford, the chief medical officer of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, said he hasn’t seen a big surge in cases since schoolhouses reopened in South Florida. That doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t be on guard, Ford said.

“My message to parents is to stay vigilant," Ford said.

Ford also suggests that parents be aware of whether or not there are COVID-19 cases in their children’s schools and if school administrators are following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has said children and teenagers are at such low risk of dying of COVID-19 that keeping them at home doesn’t make sense. According to the Florida Department of Health’s Oct. 19 report, about 64,110 minors had been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the state — including 807 who were hospitalized and nine who died.

“Going forward, whatever the future may hold, school closures should be off the table,” DeSantis said, adding that keeping students on distance learning affects their physical, mental and social well-being.

Public school superintendents in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties have said they will rely on hyper-local data to make decisions on a school-by-school basis. Most recently, Miami-Dade closed two schools, Mast Academy and Coral Park Elementary, in an effort to contain coronavirus outbreaks.

As of Oct. 19, there were 13,537 pediatric COVID-19 cases in Miami-Dade and 8,476 pediatric cases in Broward, according to state data.

Epidemiologists have warned children can be silent spreaders. State data shows 17% of the minors who were tested in Miami-Dade County were infected. About 15% of the minors who were tested in Broward County were also infected.

Records show 76 schools in Broward County and 80 schools in Miami-Dade have reported cases. Broward County Public Schools also reported coronavirus cases associated with the district office in Fort Lauderdale and school transportation.

VIEW REPORT: Characteristics of COVID-19 cases in pediatric Florida residents

At least 76 schools in Broward

Here is the list of schools with reported coronavirus cases:

1. American Heritage School in Plantation
2. Annabel C. Perry PK-8 in Miramar (Broward County Public Schools)
3. Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches
4. Atlantic Montessori Charter School in Pembroke Pines
5. Atlantic Technical College in Margate
6. Blanche Ely High (Broward County Public Schools)
7. Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale
8. Calvary Christian Academy in Hollywood
9. Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale
10. Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory in Hollywood
11. Chapel Trail Elementary (Broward County Public Schools)
12. Cooper City High School (Broward County Public Schools)
13. Coral Springs Middle School in Coral Springs (Broward County Public Schools)
14. Country Isles Elementary (Broward County Public Schools)
15. Croissant Park Elementary (Broward County Public Schools)
16. Cross Creek School (Broward County Public Schools)
17. Cypress Bay High School in Weston (Broward County Public Schools)
18. Cypress Elementary (Broward County Public Schools)
19. David Posnack Jewish Day School in Davie
20. Davie Elementary School in Davie (Broward County Public Schools)
21. Davie Professional Development (Broward County Public Schools)
22. Deerfield Beach Elementary School (Broward County Public Schools)
23. Eagle Ridge Elementary School in Coral Springs
24. Everglades Elementary (Broward County Public Schools)
25. Everglades High School in Miramar
26. Forest Hills Elementary School in Coral Springs
27. Fort Lauderdale High School (Broward County Public Schools)
28. Hawkes Bluff Elementary School (Broward County Public Schools)
29. Henry D. Perry Education Center in Miramar (Broward County Public Schools)
30. Hochberg Preparatory School in Hallandale
31. Hollywood Academy of Arts & Science in Hollywood
32. Imagine Charter School at Weston
33. Indian Ridge Middle School in Davie (Broward County Public Schools)
34. Lauderdale Lakes Middle School (Broward County Public Schools)
35. Lauderhill Paul Turner Elementary School in Lauderdale Lakes (Broward County Public Schools)
36. Liberty Elementary School (Broward County Public Schools)
37. Lyons Creek Middle School in Coconut Creek (Broward County Public Schools)
38. Maimonides Shalom/Brauser Academy in Fort Lauderdale
39. Miramar High School in Miramar (Broward County Public Schools)
40. Monarch High School in Coconut Creek
41. Nativity School in Hollywood
42. New River Middle School (Broward County Public Schools)
43. North Broward Preparatory School
44. North Lauderdale PK-8 (Broward County Public Schools)
45. Nova Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary (Broward County Public Schools)
46. Oriole Elementary School in Lauderdale Lakes (Broward County Public Schools)
47. Park Ridge Elementary School (Broward County Public Schools)
48. Park Springs Elementary School in Coral Springs
49. Park Trails Elementary School in Parkland (Broward County Public Schools)
50. Pembroke Pines Charter Elementary School
51. Ramblewood Middle School in Coral Springs
52. Renaissance Charter School at Cooper City
53. Renaissance Charter School at University in Tamarac
54. Rohr Bais Chaya Academy in Tamarac
55. Sagemont Global Education in lower campus Weston
56. Saint Bonaventure Catholic School in Davie
57. Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale
58. Sanders Park Elementary School in Pompano Beach (Broward County Public Schools)
59. Seminole Middle School (Broward County Public Schools)
60. Sheridan Hills Christian School in Hollywood
61. Silver Lakes Elementary School (Broward County Public Schools)
62. Silver Lakes Middle School in North Lauderdale
63. Somerset Academy in Pembroke Pines
64. Soul Academy
65. Sunrise Middle School in Fort Lauderdale
66. Tedder Elementary School (Broward County Public Schools)
67. Temple Beth Emet Day School in Cooper City
68. Temple Beth Torah
69. Tradewinds Elementary School (Broward County Public Schools)
70. Welleby Elementary School in Sunrise (Broward County Public Schools)
71. Westchester Elementary School in Coral Springs (Broward County Public Schools)
72. Western High School (Broward County Public Schools)
73. Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale
74. Weston Christian Academy in Weston
75. William T. McFatter Technical High (Broward County Public Schools)
76. Wilton Manors Elementary School (Broward County Public Schools)

At least 80 schools in Miami-Dade

Here is the list of schools with reported coronavirus cases:

1. Alexander School, Inc.
2. Arcola Lake Elementary School
3. Atlantis Academy
4. Barbara Goleman Senior High in Miami Lakes
5. Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami-Dade
6. Beyond Expectations Academy in Miami-Dade
7. Brownsville Middle School
8. Campbell Drive K-8 Center in Homestead
9. Champagnat Catholic School of Hialeah
10. Charles David Wyche, Jr. Elementary School in Miami Gardens
11. Children’s Rainbow Dayschool Academy in the Goulds
12. Christ Fellowship Academy in Palmetto Bay
13. Christina M. Eve Elementary School
14. Christopher Columbus High School
15. Concordia Lutheran School
16. Coral Park Elementary School
17. Diamond Minds Transformational Leadership
18. Divine Savior Lutheran Academy in Doral
19. Einsteins Learning Center 1 Inc. in Hialeah
20. Eugenia B. Thomas K-8 Center in Doral
21. Flagami Elementary School in Miami
22. Florida Christian School
23. Frances S. Tucker Elementary School
24. Granada Day School in Coral Gables
25. Gratigny Elementary School
26. Gulliver Academy in Coral Gables
27. Gulliver Preparatory in Pinecrest
28. Gulliver Schools-Pinecrest High School
29. Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High
30. Horeb Christian School in Hialeah
31. iMater Academy in Hialeah
32. Immaculata-La Salle High School
33. International Bilingual Preschool
34. International Studies Charter Middle School
35. Kendall Christian
36. Key Point Christian Academy
37. Keys Gate Charter High School in Homestead
38. Kinloch Park Elementary School
39. La Progresiva Presbyterian School Inc.
40. Lakeview Elementary School
41. Lincoln-Marti Charter School in Little Havana
42. Lincoln-Marti Community Agency
43. Lincoln-Marti Community Agency in Homestead
44. Lincoln-Marti Community Agency in the Goulds
45. Lubavitch Educational Center Inc.
46. Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy in Homestead
47. Mesivta of Greater Miami in Miami Beach
48. Miami Country Day School
49. Miami Lakes Educational Center in Miami Lakes
50. Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School in Miami Shores
51. Miami Southridge Senior High
52. Mother of Our Redeemer Catholic School
53. Norman S. Edelcup/Sunny Isles Beach K-8 in Sunny Isles Beach
54. North Dade Middle School in Miami Gardens
55. North Miami Beach Senior High
56. Palm Springs Elementary School in Hialeah
57. Palm Springs Middle School in Hialeah
58. Ransom Everglades High School
59. Royal Green Elementary School
60. Saint Brendan High School
61. Saint Timothy Catholic Parish School
62. Saint Timothy Parish School
63. Saints Peter Paul School
64. Shelton Academy in Doral
65. Snow White The Seven Dwarfs School in Hialeah
66. Somerset Academy
67. South Miami Senior High School
68. Sunset Park Elementary School
69. The 2nd House Academy Corp.
70. The Cushman School
71. Theodore R. and Thelma A. Gibson Charter School
72. Tropical Elementary School
73. True North Classical Academy
74. West Hialeah Gardens Elementary School in Hialeah Gardens
75. Westwood Christian School
76. William H. Lehman Elementary School
77. Yeshiva Elementary in Miami Beach
78. Yeshiva Elementary in Miami-Dade
79. Yeshiva Toras Chaim in North Miami Beach
80. Zora Neale Hurston Elementary School

Sources: Florida Department of Health on Oct. 10 and Broward County Public Schools’s dashboard on Oct. 20