More COVID-19 reported at Manatee schools. Superintendent promises more transparency

COVID-19 has now made its way into 31 public schools since Manatee County students returned last month.

As of Wednesday evening, the School District of Manatee County recorded 51 cases between 28 traditional campuses. The Bradenton Herald also verified a handful of cases at three public charter schools, which track their own COVID-19 incidents.

Bashaw Elementary School and Braden River High School were the latest campuses to appear on Manatee’s new “COVID-19 Dashboard.” A student tested positive at each campus, and a total of 34 people were exposed to the two cases, according to the school district.

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.

The school district began adding case numbers and the affected schools to its website, www.manateeschools.net, last week. And on Tuesday evening, it uploaded the number of people quarantined after exposure to the recent cases. While the list of COVID-19 cases and schools dates back to the start of classes on Aug. 17, the data on exposures is only from the last week.

District spokesman Mike Barber said he hoped to have more information on past exposure numbers by Friday. Before it reversed course last week, the school district withheld specific numbers related to COVID-19 cases and exposures during the 2020-21 school year, making it hard to know the full impact on students and employees.

“I know we’ve been beaten up quite a bit in the press,” Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said at Tuesday’s school board meeting. “It’s easy to get beat up when you launch out of the gate first. We were one of the first large districts to open up brick and mortar at the very beginning of the school year. By doing so, there’s not a big rule book. There’s not a playbook for us to launch from.”

The district was following guidance from the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County, which took direction from the state health department, Saunders said.

“She’s just trying to comply with the rules and regulations that she’s been given,” the superintendent said, referencing Dr. Jennifer Bencie, the head of Manatee’s health department. “We’re trying to be respectful of their position and not overstep, but it’s been a tremendous partnership.”

“I think we will be, of course, giving the transparency that some have asked for,” Saunders continued. “That’s never been an issue for us. We just wanted to make sure we were in compliance, and we weren’t the ones that really were in charge of making those decisions, either.”

According to the new COVID-19 data uploaded to Manatee’s website, dozens of people were exposed to nine recent cases. The reports were dated Sep. 8 and Sep. 9.

• Abel Elementary — 14 people quarantined after exposure to an infected employee.
• Braden River Middle — 13 people quarantined after exposure to two infected students.
• Harvey Elementary — 25 people quarantined after exposure to one infected employee.
• Parrish Community High School — six people quarantined after exposure to one infected student.
• Prine Elementary — three people quarantined after exposure to one infected student.
• Southeast High — four people quarantined after exposure to one infected employee.
• Bashaw Elementary — 25 people quarantined after exposure to one infected student.
• Braden River High — nine people quarantined after exposure to one infected student.

The new dashboard also outlined 51 cases since the return of students last month:

• Abel Elementary — one case.
• Ballard Elementary — two cases.
• Bashaw Elementary — one case.
• Bayshore Elementary — one case.
• Blackburn Elementary — two cases.
• Braden River High — two cases.
• Braden River Middle — three cases.
• Gullett Elementary — one case.
• Harvey Elementary — three cases.
• Lakewood Ranch High — one case.
• Lee Middle School — one case.
• Lincoln Memorial Academy — one case.
• Manatee High School — four cases.
• Manatee Technical College, all campuses — five cases.
• Mills Elementary — one case.
• Moody Elementary — one case.
• Nolan Middle — two cases.
• Palma Sola Elementary — two cases.
• Palmetto Elementary — one case.
• Palmetto High — two cases.
• Parrish Community High — two cases.
• Prine Elementary — one case.
• Samoset Elementary — two cases.
• Southeast High — two cases.
• Sugg Middle — one case.
• Tara Elementary — two cases.
• Williams Elementary — three cases.
• Willis Elementary — one case.

Public charter schools are responsible for tracking their own cases and reporting to the county health department. According to the notices sent to parents and obtained by the Bradenton Herald, at least three charter schools had COVID-19 cases after the return of students.

In a message to families on Aug. 24, Manatee School For the Arts reported “a confirmed COVID case from an employee that has no direct contact with students, faculty, or staff members.”

Rowlett Academy for Arts and Communication sent notices to families on Aug. 18 and Tuesday. In both notices, the elementary school cited “a case of COVID-10” and “limited exposure to distinct portions of our campus.”

Parrish Charter Academy reported its first case in a letter dated Sep. 3. It said “an individual” tested positive for COVID-19 and that one teacher’s classroom would have to isolate and learn online from Sep. 4-17.

“It is imperative that you keep your child home and notify your health care provider as soon as possible if your child experiences any COVID-related signs and symptoms,” the letter said. “We will continue to clean and sanitize the facility throughout the day and each night.”

This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 8:59 AM.