Jacksonville private school pivots to distance learning over uptick in COVID-19 cases

Students will learn from home until Feb. 22, school administrators say

Cedar Creek Christian School located at 1372 Lane Ave S, Jacksonville, FL 32205 (Copyright 2021 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A small, private school in Jacksonville moved all of its roughly 280 K-12 students to a distance learning format until Feb. 22 in response to an outbreak of COVID-19.

Cedar Creek Christian School notified students’ families Tuesday.

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“Fortunately, so far, it has only been three people that have tested positive,” CCCS administrator Lisa Pearson told News4Jax. “We are such a small school, we don’t want to take any chances that it spreads.”

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Pearson said the school has robust safety protocols in place, including daily temperature checks for all students, a mask requirement in hallways and where social distancing isn’t possible, and nightly disinfection of the buildings using specialized fogging machines.

“We also have hand sanitizing stations in every classroom and all entrances to the school,” Pearson said. “The teachers wipe down the desks between class changes and our cleaning crew not only uses the fogging machine but uses a disinfectant cleaner as well.”

In October, Jacksonville’s Fletcher High School temporarily closed in-person instruction after an outbreak of COVID-19 and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts took a similar action a week later due to another outbreak.


About the Author:

McLean is a reporter with WJXT, covering education and breaking news. He is a frequent contributor to the News4Jax I-team and Trust Index coverage.