EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published with a photo of a school bus. The file photo was in the newspaper's photo archives. The photo was meant as a generic illustration. It was not the bus or the bus driver who tested positive. Unfortunately, some readers identified that bus by bus number and assumed that driver had tested positive. We regret this confusion and the stress it caused to that bus driver. Due to medical privacy laws, the school district has not released the name of the bus driver who tested positive. However, the school district has notified the parents of all children who may have been exposed.

OKEECHOBEE – On Sept. 2 the Okeechobee County School District was notified that a bus driver tested positive for COVID-19. That notification led to eight students being identified as being in close contact of the individual and excluded from school for 14 days.

“Earlier today, the district was notified that a bus driver has tested positive for COVID-19,” read the email sent by the district to parents of the students identified as close contacts. “This individual was at work this morning, but left immediately.”

School officials are defining “close contact” as individuals around a person who has tested positive within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more.

“If you are beyond that perimeter and you’re still wearing your mask, you should be safe,” said Superintendent of Schools Ken Kenworthy. “Simply being in the same classroom, building, or the same event as a positive or symptomatic person does not mean someone must be contact traced or asked to self-isolate.”

The goal is to minimize disruptions by isolating only those individuals with close contact with a positive individual.

Prior to Sept. 2, a total of 56 students in the Okeechobee County School District had been impacted by potential exposure to the virus.

At Okeechobee High School, 11 students on a bus and 21 students from six classrooms were excluded from school for a period of 14 days. At South Elementary, a teacher testing positive for COVID-19 caused the district to exclude 24 students and two adults for up to 14 days.

“If you believe you’ve been exposed or you have symptoms and get tested, we’re asking you to stay home,” said Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dylan Tedders. “You don’t need to be on a campus until you know the result.”