22 teachers out of one school after being exposed to COVID-19

22 teachers are out of one elementary after either testing positive for or being exposed to COVID-19. Now, a few classrooms are closed and parents are saying no one from the district let them know.

Pelican Elementary School in Cape Coral currently has 22 teachers in quarantine. This is more than a third of all teachers at the school.

Parents say they wanted the Lee County school district to just be transparent with them about what is happening. Those same parents said they had no idea about the quarantine situation when they lined up to pick up their kids.

Jeffrey Guillory is a parent. “I am flabbergasted, I had no idea,” he said. “I think that is absolutely ridiculous.”

The number of teachers in quarantine came from the President of the Teacher’s Association of Lee County, not SDLC. Kevin Daly is the president of the Teacher’s Association of Lee County. “The district needs to realize that this is not 1970,” Daly said.

A spokesperson to the district would not comment on the 22 teachers out from Pelican Elementary. All he did say was that there are currently six classrooms at the school that are closed and that the district does have the resources to cover those vacancies.

Rob Spicker is a spokesperson for the district. “It’s temporary, it does end and we’ll bring those staff members back as soon as we are able to,” Spicker said.

But for parents like Ivy Fiorentino and Jeffrey Guillory that isn’t enough. They want transparency from the district about what’s going on in their kids’ school.

“The fact that parents aren’t getting notified of this information is really concerning,” Fiorentino said.

“It’s most definitely something that needs to be addressed,” said Guillory.

Parents don’t like the fact that classes are being combined while so many teachers are missing. “They are really on top of each other so it really does make you question and really have to reevaluate everything,” said Fiorentino.

“Who wants to gamble with children getting sick nowadays. It’s nothing I want to gamble with,” Guillory said.

Parents are now wondering if there will be enough teachers to teach their kids tomorrow.

The School District of Lee County says it will continue to send help to the school as long as it’s necessary. That could mean different staff members from different schools or the school’s administrators could fill those teaching roles.