Schools

Polk County Elementary Students To Get Desk Shields Inside Classrooms To Prevent COVID

Many students will attend class with desk shields to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The plastic shields will be issued to K - 5.

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To help prevent the spread of COVID - 19 in the elementary schools of Polk County, the district is installing 50,000 desk shields throughout classrooms.
To help prevent the spread of COVID - 19 in the elementary schools of Polk County, the district is installing 50,000 desk shields throughout classrooms. (Polk County Public School District )

POLK COUNTY, FL — Fifty-thousand desk shields have been ordered by the Polk County Public Schools for elementary students to help prevent the spread of COVID — 19, a news release said.

Clear plastic shields will be mounted on students' desks, and can easily be removed for cleaning, according to school officials. The installation process began at about two weeks ago so many students already have the shields on their desks. The process is expected to be complete at about the middle of November.

The district said it used federal funding to pay for the shields to help protect kindergarten through fifth grade students since they are currently not eligible for COVID — 19 vaccines.

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