Associated Press
- More than 400 Florida students have to quarantine because of COVID-19 exposure.
- The district had only had 2 days of in-person school before the students went into quarantine.
- In response, the district will now mandate masks for all students and staff members.
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More than 400 Florida students have been quarantined because of COVID-19 after just two days of in-person school, the Palm Beach County district superintendent told WPTV Thursday.
Palm Beach County Superintendent of Schools Mike Burke said 440 students have had to quarantine since the start of school over possible COVID-19 exposure.
As of Friday morning, the school district's COVID-19 dashboard has confirmed 134 cases of COVID-19. Of those, 108 are students and 26 are employees.
Mask wearing had been recommended but not mandatory in the district's schools.
The district has since made masks mandatory for all students and staff in the district – unless parents choose to opt their child out.
Out of the 167,000 students in the district, 6,394 have chosen not to wear masks as of Thursday, according to WPTV.
"Our goal was to get our students back in person ... and our goal is to keep kids in school," Burke told MSNBC on Thursday.