COVID cases close Brevard County middle school

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard Public Schools announced that the district will close the campus of Madison Middle School to students for two days this week.

“After careful deliberation, in consultation with the Brevard Department of Health, the Superintendent has made the difficult, but proactive decision to close the Madison Middle School campus to students on Monday and Tuesday of next week, August 23rd and 24th, because of expanded cases of COVID-19 and to prevent further spread of the virus,” the district said in a statement released on Friday.

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Russell Bruhn, head of communications at Brevard Public Schools, said about 90% of the student population was impacted by COVID last week.

“There are schools that we’re kind of watching, like we have with Madison, and so we’re hopeful that those quarantines, that the kids that are in quarantine, will be able to come back and we don’t have to shut down any more schools, but, obviously, you can’t make any type of promise,” Bruhn said.

Some parents are upset about the process.

“I’m livid because they waited until last week to do all this when they should just go ahead and shut the schools back down,” said Jackie Hackley, whose son attends Madison Middle School. “They need to bring e-learning back (full time). I don’t want my kid in this school.”

BPS said students will receive instruction via a “digital method” while school is closed.

“The district will work with families who need devices and/or hotspots for stay-at-home online learning,” a news release reads.

The school will provide two days’ worth of breakfast and lunches to students as well, according to the district.

The district plans to offer COVID-19 testing for students and staff at the school Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parents will need to accompany minors to get the test.

While the school is closed, the district said it will undergo a deep cleaning.

According to the most recent update from the BPS COVID Dashboard, there are 546 reported cases of COVID-19 in the district as of Thursday, 74 staff members and 472 students.