COVID-19 sends over two dozen people home from one Manatee County elementary school
The School District of Manatee County reported two COVID-19 cases with big differences in Tuesday’s update.
Daughtrey Elementary School, 515 63rd Ave. E. in Bradenton, reported its first case since classes began last month. There were no exposures to the one employee who tested positive for COVID-19, according to the district report.
The impact was greater at Palmetto Elementary School, 1540 10th St. W., where 27 people were quarantined after exposure to one student who tested positive for COVID-19. Before the recent update, Palmetto Elementary had recorded two cases and five exposures between reports on Aug. 25 and Sep. 14.
When people are exposed to COVID-19, meaning they stayed within six feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes, the exposed employees and students are forced to quarantine for 14 days. The last time Manatee reported more than two dozen exposures was on Sep. 15, when Barbara A. Harvey Elementary School had one COVID-19 case and 25 exposures.
When asked how the 27 exposures were able to occur at Palmetto Elementary, district spokesman Mike Barber declined to comment, citing concerns about student privacy and health information.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the district confirmed 72 cases in 35 schools since the start of classes on Aug. 17. Those cases resulted in 905 exposures and quarantines, according to reports from the school district:
- Abel Elementary: 18 exposures and two positive employees between reports on Sep. 8 and Sep. 15.
Ballard Elementary: 29 exposures, one positive student and one positive employee between reports on Aug. 18 and Aug. 31.
Bashaw Elementary: 25 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 9.
Bayshore Elementary: three people quarantined after exposure to one employee, Aug. 20.
Bayshore High: one person quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 21.
Blackburn Elementary: 12 people quarantined after exposure to two students, Aug. 24.
Braden River High: 18 exposures and three positive students between reports on Sep. 4, Sep. 9 and Sep. 16.
Braden River Middle: 17 exposures, one positive employee and three positive students between reports on Sep. 2, Sep. 8 and Sep. 10.
Buffalo Creek Middle: two people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 18.
Daughtrey Elementary: no exposures to one positive employee, Sep. 22.
Gullett Elementary: 16 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Aug. 25.
Harvey Elementary: 100 exposures, one positive employee and three positive students between reports on Sep. 2, Sep. 8 and Sep. 15.
Johnson K-8: Ten people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 11.
Lakewood Ranch High: 32 people quarantined, two positive employees and one positive student between reports on Aug. 31 and Sep. 18.
Lee Middle: two people quarantined after exposure to one employee, Sep. 4.
Lincoln Memorial Academy: 27 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Aug. 21.
Manatee High: 75 exposures, three positive students and two positive employees between reports on Aug. 21, Aug. 25, Sep. 2 and Sep. 15.
Manatee Technical College, all campuses: nine people quarantined after exposure to five employees, Aug. 19.
McNeal Elementary: no exposures to one positive employee and one positive student between reports on Sep. 18 and Sep. 21.
Mills Elementary: 14 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 3.
Moody Elementary: 32 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Aug. 21.
Nolan Middle: 45 exposures, one positive student and one positive employee between reports on Aug. 31 and Sep. 1.
Palm View K-8: no exposures to one positive employee, Sep. 18.
Palma Sola Elementary: 38 exposures, one positive employee and two positive students between reports on Aug. 25, Aug. 26 and Sep. 17.
Palmetto Elementary: 32 exposures, two positive students and one positive employee between reports on Aug. 25, Sep. 14 and Sep. 22.
Palmetto High: 149 exposures and two positive employees between reports on Aug. 27 and Aug. 31.
Parrish Community High: 13 exposures and three positive students between reports on Aug. 18, Sep. 8 and Sep. 16.
Prine Elementary: three people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 8.
Samoset Elementary: 38 people quarantined after exposure to two students, Aug. 26.
Southeast High: 31 exposures, one positive student and two positive employees between reports on Sep. 4, Sep. 8 and Sep. 15.
Sugg Middle: no exposures to one positive student, Aug. 20.
Tara Elementary: 15 exposures and three positive students between reports on Aug. 19 and Sep. 11.
Williams Elementary: 73 exposures, two positive employees and one positive student between reports on Aug. 18, Aug. 31 and Sep. 4.
Willis Elementary: eight people quarantined after exposure to one student, Aug. 21.
Witt Elementary: 18 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 16.
During the school board meeting on Tuesday night, Deputy Superintendent Doug Wagner said all students and employees should stay home if they have a pending COVID-19 test, regardless of their reason for getting tested.
“You’ve been exposed, you have symptoms or if you’re just curious for yourself, we need to have everyone who is waiting on a test to stay at home and not enter our schools or our district buildings,” he said at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 12:24 PM.