More than 100 people sent home from Palmetto High after COVID-19 case, official says

Classrooms full of students were sent home from Palmetto High School after a teacher tested positive for COVID-19.

In a message to families on Monday evening, Palmetto High reported “a case of COVID-19” and “direct exposures” to the infected person. On Tuesday morning, the Bradenton Herald received unverified reports that Palmetto High School had upwards of 100 possible exposures.

A reporter asked for the exact number of exposures, and after more than four hours, the district would only confirm that an “abnormal number of students” were quarantined. The Bradenton Herald then reached out to Scott Hopes, a school board member and epidemiologist.

Hopes said it was his understanding that more than 100 people were quarantined after possibly being exposed to a COVID-19 case at the school.

Carson Friend, a 10th-grade student at Palmetto High, said he knew of more than 80 people who were sent home on Monday.

“Some of the staff were saying it,” Friend said. “A lot of the kids were saying it.”

“It was a little strange,” he continued, describing a scene that unfolded on Monday. “Nobody really knew what was going on at the time. They started calling everybody down to the auditorium. The teachers were coming in with papers and listing off kids. They didn’t really tell us what happened. We don’t really know. They just kind of left. Then I was texting some of my friends and they said, ‘Yeah, we all went to the auditorium and they told us we’ve been exposed to the coronavirus. There was a teacher that had it.’”

Nathalia Vega, an 11th-grade student at Palmetto High, said her brother was in one of seven classes that got sent home after the teacher tested positive for COVID-19. Her brother, a ninth-grader at the school, now spends much of his time away from family.

“That’s my brother, but I’m scared because I don’t know if I’m going to get it and be affected from it,” she said. “It’s iffy. He hasn’t really been in anybody’s room. He’s just been outside because he’s scared to get around people.”

Palmetto High School, 1200 17th St. W., was among three schools to report COVID-19 cases and exposures on Monday, according to an update from the school district. Much like every school notification sent in the last two weeks, the recent messages offered no detail on the number of people affected, making it hard to know the full impact of COVID-19 on local schools.

An updated notification was sent to employees and families of Palmetto High School on Tuesday evening, according to district spokesman Mike Barber, who provided a copy of the message.

“The case resulted in an abnormal number of students being quarantined from our campus for a period of 14 days,” it states. “The reason for the number of students quarantined was due to the fact that the school did not have up-to-date seating charts of each class. As a result, the Department of Health epidemiologist, working in conjunction with the District’s Operations Center, was unable to clearly identify those students who had Direct Exposure to the confirmed case.”

“The majority of the students quarantined were sent home out of an extreme abundance of caution because the contact tracing could not formally exclude them from Direct Exposure,” it continues. “As a result of this case, we have made sure seating charts are produced in each classroom so that the Department of Health can do a more proficient job of contact tracing when necessary.”

The notice assured families that students could transition to online classes during their quarantine, and that Palmetto High was “taking temperatures, wearing masks, asking symptom-related questions of all students and staff daily, cleaning and disinfecting daily and limiting access to our campus.”

Students said the school was doing its best with cleaning and face coverings, but with hybrid and full-time students on campus, it was sometimes impossible to practice social distancing in hallways and classrooms.

“Our desks are separated, but they’re not six feet apart,” Vega said. “It’s literally the same as a regular school day. Like, last year’s classroom and this year, it’s the same.”

Tuesday’s update from the district also included an elementary school and a middle school. Williams Elementary School, 3404 Fort Hamer Road in Parrish, reported “a case of COVID-19” and “direct exposures” to the confirmed case.

In a nearly identical message, Nolan Middle School, 6615 Greenbrook Blvd. in Bradenton, reported “a case of COVID-19” and “direct exposures” to the infected person.

The term “direct exposure” describes close and prolonged contact with an infected person, meaning less than six feet of separation for at least 15 minutes. District guidance states that employees and students should isolate and monitor their symptoms for 14 days after exposure to a COVID-19 case.

Standing outside of the school on Tuesday afternoon, Friend said the school year was full of uncertainty, but he was happy to be there.

“It’s good to get back and socialize with people, even if it’s not for long,” he said.

This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 4:26 PM.