Manatee schools exceed 1,000 COVID-19 quarantines as first quarter nears an end

While the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases remained below 100 in Manatee County schools, more than 1,000 people have gone into quarantine after being exposed to the ill students and employees.

Classes began on Aug. 17, more than one month ago, and the school district has since reported 78 cases between 36 campuses. Another 1,006 people were exposed and forced to quarantine during the 2020-21 school year, according to district reports.

The term “exposure” means there was close and prolonged contact with an infected person (less than six feet of separation for at least 15 minutes), and it requires the exposed student or employee to quarantine for 14 days.

The number of quarantines surpassed 1,000 on Monday afternoon, when the district reported 26 exposures at Bayshore Elementary School and seven exposures at Braden River Middle School.

Kevin Chapman, the director of strategic planning for Manatee County schools, reflected on the milestone number and the pandemic school year on Tuesday, about one week before students complete the first quarter.

About 70 percent of students returned for in-person classes last month, either part time or full time, and they were joined by thousands of district employees who returned to their classrooms and offices. In total, approximately 34,000 people returned to district buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To have less than 80 positive cases over the last six weeks is pretty successful,” Chapman said. “We obviously don’t want any positive cases, but I think when you look at the reality of what’s going on, that’s pretty good.”

When asked about the number of exposures and quarantines, Chapman said that social distancing — a key safeguard against COVID-19 — was often challenging in elementary classrooms and other settings, such as school buses.

“It’s just the nature of being a young child,” he said. “You’ve got 15 or 20 in a class all day long. It’s very hard as a teacher to keep your distance at all times, or for a student to keep away from another student at all times.”

One of the most effective safety measures, he said, was the push to keep students and employees home if they had COVID-19 symptoms or pending test results.

Every morning, students and employees fill out a similar questionnaire: “Are you sick with flu-like symptoms? Have you or a family member been tested for COVID-19 in the last 14 days due to a confirmed COVID-19 exposure or symptoms? Have you been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case in the last 14 days?”

Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, possible exposures or pending test results is asked to stay home, Chapman said, noting that employees and students were able to continue working at home when quarantined.

“The learning loss and work loss, if that’s a word, was lessened by the technology and our protocols,” he said. “Work continued and education continued.”

Chapman spends much of his time at the new District Operations Center, located at the administration building in downtown Bradenton. Working with employees from the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County, including two epidemiologists, the district tracks daily cases and exposures from the downtown office.

With the help of contact tracing and physical safety measures, including mask-wearing and hand-washing, the district was able to prevent school closures and massive outbreaks, Chapman continued.

As of Monday afternoon, the district reported cases and exposures at the following schools:

• 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: 29 exposures and two positive employees between reports on Aug. 20 and Sep. 28.
• 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: 24 exposures, one positive employee and four positive students between reports on Sep. 2, Sep. 8, Sep. 10 and Sep. 28.
• Buffalo Creek Middle: two people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 18.
• Daughtrey Elementary: no exposures to one positive employee, Sep. 22.
• Freedom Elementary: four exposures to one positive student, Sep. 23.
• 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: 175 exposures and three positive employees between reports on Aug. 27 Aug. 31 and Sep. 23.
• 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: 53 exposures and five positive students between reports on Aug. 19 Sep. 11, Sep. 24 and Sep. 25.
• 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.

District officials believe they were largely successful in reopening schools during the pandemic. Families will have their voices heard next week, when the school board reviews the outcome of a poll that questioned parents on their experiences and needs in the current school year.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Oct. 8, though a private shade meeting will likely consume the first hour.

Board meetings are open with a limited capacity of 15 guests, and every meeting is broadcast on Spectrum Channel 646 and Frontier Channel 39, along with www.mstv.us.

This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 3:35 PM.