COVID-19 entered nearly a dozen Manatee County schools during students’ first week

At least nine Manatee County schools have reported COVID-19 cases since the start of school on Monday. In most cases, an untold number of people were exposed to the respiratory illness.

W.D. Sugg Middle School had a confirmed case and no direct exposures to the infected person, according to a message sent to employees and families. A similar notification informed parents that Willis Elementary School had a case of COVID-19 and “direct exposures” to the infected person.

The Bradenton Herald verified both cases after obtaining the messages sent to families and employees. The school district then issued its weekly update to reporters at 3:40 p.m. on Friday, confirming the cases and revealing several others.

The update said that Moody Elementary School had a COVID-19 case and direct exposures. It also said the Bayshore Elementary School had a confirmed case and a “minimal number of direct exposures.”

“A common thread among confirmed cases during the first week of school is that virtually all of them have come into our facilities after having close contact or Direct Exposure to a confirmed case within their own family or extended household,” the update stated.

“That is happening even though employees and students are being asked questions daily related to COVID exposures and symptoms,” it continued.

In total, at least nine campuses faced COVID-19 cases during the first week of school for students. They were:

• Ballard Elementary School.
• Tara Elementary School.
• Willis Elementary School.
• Moody Elementary School.
• Bayshore Elementary School.

• W.D. Sugg Middle School (no exposures).

• Parrish Community High School.
• Manatee Technical College (Main Campus).
• Rowlett Academy for Arts and Communication.

“Anyone who had Direct Exposure to the confirmed case has been contacted and sent home for 14 days from the date of known exposure, in accordance with CDC and Florida Department of Health protocols,” the district said in its notifications. “The confirmed case is also isolated away from school in accordance with those same protocols.”

Rowlett Academy for Arts and Communication, a public charter school for elementary students, notified families about its case on Tuesday. District spokesman Mike Barber confirmed that charter schools were responsible for tracking their own cases and reporting to the county health department.

None of the notifications — from either the district or the charter school — specified the number of cases and exposures. It was also unknown if the affected people were school employees or students.

When students made their return for the 2020-21 school year on Monday, 48 percent returned to campus, 29 percent continued with online learning and 23 percent enrolled in the hybrid schedule. The hybrid model includes two days on campus and three days online.

Manatee launched its District Operations Center on the same day. Located at the administration building in downtown Bradenton, the room is staffed with employees from the school district and the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County.

The center receives COVID-19 reports, tracks possible exposures and responds to each incident. Manatee’s traditional schools used a standard format to notify families of the recent cases, assuring parents that all infected and exposed people were isolated.

The affected areas were sanitized “with a special disinfectant” before school continued the next day, each message continued.

Manatee County surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday. There was also one local death, bringing Manatee’s death toll to 248, according to a daily update from the state health department.

The department has reported 130 positive cases among local children between Aug. 7-20.

Hoping to curb the spread of COVID-19 in local schools and the surrounding community, district leaders have stressed the importance of social distancing. However, “direct exposures” point to a breakdown in the safety measures at several schools.

“Direct exposure” means someone had close and prolonged contact with an infected person, meaning less than six feet of separation for at least 15 minutes. The definition is used by Manatee schools and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Local officials, including members of the Manatee County School Board, have also stressed the importance of masks in the fight against COVID-19. The board approved a mask policy for students and employees, and outside of the limited exceptions, everyone is expected to wear a face mask in schools and buses.

According to a recent statement, the district issued hundreds of thousands of masks to traditional, charter and contract schools. The district also supplied its campuses with about 9,000 partitions before the start of school.

“The School District of Manatee County remains committed to the safety of students, teachers, staff members and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the district said in Friday’s update.

This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 4:23 PM.