Students and teachers in Hillsborough county schools are at an unacceptable risk of COVID infection.  In recent days, the following have occurred:

1. Florida hit a 22.75% positivity rate for Coronavirus infections. 

2.  Hillsborough County had a 32.56% positivity rate for Coronavirus infections.  Both the state and Hillsborough county are at a viral load higher than the CDC recommends for school closures.

3. Florida hit a record of 17,192 cases in one day.

4. Florida became the third state to report a case of the new UK variant of the Coronavirus.  This virus is up to 70% more transmissible, and indications are that it affects children more than the original strain, putting students at greater risk.

5. A teacher in neighboring Pinellas County died from the deadly COVID virus.

6. Large numbers of people travelled for the holidays, or celebrated in crowds, creating super-spreader events.  This will translate into increased infections in our schools, putting our students at risk.

7. Governor DeSantis moved teachers further down the list for vaccination, delaying their safety. 

In addition, our schools remain overcrowded and social distancing is non-existent.  Students remain too close.

We demand a temporary return to 100% Virtual Learning - until a safer learning environment can be achieved through vaccination of teachers or an acceptable positivity rate.