PIERCE COUNTY, Ga. — A Pierce County, Georgia student has tested positive for COVID-19 after the first day back at school on Monday, Superintendent Dara Bennett confirmed to First Coast News on Tuesday.
In an email, Bennett said, "Your child’s safety is of utmost importance to us. Pierce County Schools will notify you in the event your child has been exposed to COVID-19 at school. We are following guidelines from the Department of Public Health (DPH) as to who has been exposed and needs to quarantine."
She confirmed that a student was sent home from Pierce County High School on Monday and later tested positive for the coronavirus. Bennett said the students who were in close contact are now following DPH guidelines and will be quarantined for 14 days. Those students are instructed to monitor their symptoms.
The school district is asking parents to monitor their child's symptoms each morning before they go to school and to keep them home if they are sick.
Pierce County is one of four First Coast school districts that opened on Monday. They do not have a mask requirement.
Bennett said the first day, they had 2,941 students return back to schools and 509 students do virtual school. The district has a total of 3,450 students.