Classes in Manatee start Monday. Employees will not get COVID-19 tests, school board says

COVID-19 has made uncertainty the norm in Manatee County, but two things were clear after Tuesday’s school board meeting. The district will not provide its employees with rapid COVID-19 testing, and students are still expected to begin on Monday, despite objections from at least one board member.

Charlie Kennedy, the school board’s vice chair, tried to add a motion to the agenda shortly after Tuesday’s meeting began. He hoped to rescind the district’s reopening plans, approved by the board last month, and to rethink the start date for classes.

Students are slated to begin on Monday under one of three options: a full return to the classroom, full-time online classes or a hybrid schedule that rotates between online and in-person classes. By rescinding the current plan, Kennedy hoped to reschedule students’ in-person return to Aug. 31, a delay of two weeks.

Board member Dave Miner voted in favor of the agenda update to allow for further discussion. The vote was only to update the agenda with Kennedy’s motion, not to make a final decision, but the other board members voted against the request.

With no further discussion on Tuesday evening, Manatee County students are still expected to begin their chosen option on Monday. Their start date is two weeks ahead of the students in Sarasota, Palm Beach, Lee and other Florida counties that pushed their start date back to Aug. 31.

Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and Pasco counties delayed students’ return to Aug. 24. With one of the earliest start dates in the region, Manatee County’s reopening will serve as a test run for surrounding school districts.

“Manatee may give us a lot of good information because they are ahead of us,” Sarasota County School Board member Jane Goodwin said during a meeting last week.

No rapid testing for school employees

Ever since the topic arose at a meeting in late July, board members have sought more information about rapid COVID-19 testing. The original idea was to track new infections and isolate people with haste.

But on Tuesday evening, Deputy Superintendent Doug Wagner recommended the use of antibody testing. A positive antibody test means someone was likely infected with COVID-19 at some point in the past, but it does not reveal whether someone is currently infected.

According to Wagner’s presentation, antibody tests “should not be used to diagnose an active infection,” and it could take “days or several weeks” before someone develops enough antibodies to test positive. The purpose, he said, was to ease employees’ concerns.

He was joined by Bill Kelley, the director of risk management for the school district. Kelley said it would be a “selfless act” if the district provided antibody tests to its employees.

“For us, there’s no benefit,” he said. “We’re not identifying the people who are actively sick. We’re trying to give people the peace of mind of knowing, ‘I’ve had it and I’ve got some protection.’ That’s what it’s for.”

Board member Scott Hopes said district employees could visit a lab and receive an antibody test under their health plans, and that uninsured employees would have their tests covered by the federal government. As long as the government assistance was available, the district could facilitate the antibody testing without making any financial commitments.

Ultimately, the school board voted to include antibody testing as part of the local Mask Up Manatee campaign. The district will encourage its employees to get tested by providing them with information on local resources.

Free antibody tests are available at Palmetto’s Lincoln Park, 501 17th St. E., from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. In a news release on Monday evening, a county spokesman announced the free testing and offered more information from the state health department.

“A positive antibody test does NOT mean you’re immune to COVID-19,” the state reported. “There is no conclusive evidence at this time to show a person can’t be infected with COVID-19 more than once.”

Hopes echoed that sentiment on Tuesday evening. However, he said, it was likely that people with antibodies were at less risk of contracting COVID-19 than someone who was never infected.

“As a board member and an epidemiologist, I would like to know the status of COVID exposure in our school district,” Hopes said. “I think it will benefit us as we move forward, and I think it will allay some of the fears and concerns.”

Along with the antibody tests, Wagner said the district would encourage its employees to use the free COVID-19 testing sites in Manatee County, which screen for active infections. The district, he said, would also check employees daily for symptoms or high temperatures.

School board votes 4-1 on mask policy

A majority of board members have made it clear that all students and employees should wear masks in the new school year. With a 4-1 vote on Tuesday evening, they approved an official policy.

“In order to implement immediate mitigation measures during this pandemic, the School Board hereby mandates that all employees, visitors, and students wear a face mask,” the policy reads.

A draft of the policy went on to say that “other approved face coverings” would be considered. A majority of board members agreed to remove that language and make their expectation clear: masks were the standard on school campuses and buses.

However, on Wednesday afternoon, the school district announced an emergency board meeting to revisit the mask policy. The meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday.

In an interview on Wednesday afternoon, Vice-Chair Kennedy said there was an outpouring of emails and phone calls both during and after the meeting. He hoped to address the community input on Friday afternoon.

“The main issue, and I think this is a legit concern . . . is kids being required to wear a mask at PE or recess, when they’re outside running around in the heat,” he said.

Gina Messenger, the board chair, has consistently disagreed with a mask mandate. Before she cast the dissenting vote on Tuesday evening, Messenger cited guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the agency recommends the use of cloth face coverings in schools, it noted that face coverings may be an issue for young children and students with special needs.

“Masks are not a silver bullet,” Messenger said. “There should be an entire program about cleaning schools, cleaning hands, distancing, training of our employees. It is a comprehensive program that we should be focusing on.”

Earlier in the meeting, the school board approved millions of dollars in COVID-19 preparations. They authorized $1.7 million for cleaning supplies and other equipment, $800,000 for disinfecting services, and $350,000 to purchase internet hot spots for online learners.

Superintendent Cynthia Saunders also updated the board on a new operations center to track COVID-19 infections among students and employees. The center, located within the district administration building in downtown Bradenton, should be fully operational by Monday.

“Our goal is to have all bugs worked out at all schools by Labor Day,” Saunders said. “Fingers crossed. If we can make it to Labor Day, I think the year will be bright.”

This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 2:25 PM.