Manatee schools go a day with no new COVID-19 case. State offers confusing report

Around the same time that Manatee County schools reported a COVID-free day, the Florida Department of Health launched its own report on COVID-19 in schools, raising immediate questions and confusion throughout the state.

In its daily update on Tuesday afternoon, the School District of Manatee County reported no new COVID-19 cases — the third time it had an incident-free day since the start of classes on Aug. 17. The number of confirmed cases remained at 78 for the 2020-21 school year, while the number of people exposed to those cases remained at 1,006.

The state health department issued a long-awaited report at about the same time, and while it offered new information on private schools, it also seemed to clash with the local reporting on traditional schools. The report covered a limited time frame, from Sep. 6 to Sep. 26.

COVID-19 in private schools

Three students at Inspiration Academy tested positive for COVID-19 and each was symptomatic, according to the Department of Health report. The private school in Bradenton previously caught the attention of Manatee County code enforcement after school officials posted a video on Facebook showing a room full of students with no masks or social distancing.

Manatee Learning Academy, another private school in Bradenton, had two students test positive for COVID-19, the report continues. One student had symptoms while the other was asymptomatic.

The report also listed Sunshine Academy in Bradenton, where one symptomatic teacher was positive for the illness.

The cases at local private schools were not publicly known before the Department of Health released its report on Tuesday.

However, when it came to traditional public schools, the report led to more questions than answers.

Unexplained discrepancies

The Bradenton Herald compared the health department’s report with local reports that fell under the same time frame (Sep. 6 to Sep. 26).

The School District of Manatee County reported cases at eight schools that never appeared on the health department’s report. Conversely, the health department listed cases at three schools that never appeared on the school district’s report.

Data for five traditional schools matched between the reports, while there were discrepancies in the reporting at nine other campuses. Along with the number of cases at each school, the reports also differed on which cases impacted school employees or students.

Schools reported by the Manatee County School District and not the Department of Health:

• Abel Elementary, two positive employees between reported on Sep. 8 and Sep. 15.

• Barbara Harvey Elementary, one positive employee and one positive student reported on Sep. 8 and Sep. 15.

• Prine Elementary, one positive student reported on Sep. 8.

• Bashaw Elementary, one positive student reported on Sep. 9.

• Johnson K-8, one positive student reported on Sep. 11.

• Palm View K-8, one positive employee reported on Sep. 18.

• Daughtrey Elementary, one positive employee reported on Sep. 22.

• Freedom Elementary, one positive student reported on Sep. 23.

The health department reported cases at three schools that were not included in school district reports from the same time period:

• Kinnan Elementary, one case reported by the DOH.

• Nolan Middle, one case reported by the DOH.

• Mills Elementary, two cases reported by the DOH.

The reports included nine of the same schools but they differed on the number of cases. They also differed on the number of school employees and students affected. Some people were even placed in an “unknown” category:

• Braden River High, DOH reports two positive students and one positive teacher (three cases), Manatee reports two positive students (two cases).

• Braden River Middle, DOH reports three positive students and one positive staff member (four cases), Manatee reports three positive students (three cases).

• McNeal Elementary, DOH reports two positive students and one positive teacher (three cases), Manatee reports one positive employee and one positive student (two cases).

• Lakewood Ranch High, DOH reports three positive students and one “unknown” (four cases), Manatee reports one positive employee and one positive student (two cases).

• Manatee High, DOH reports four positive students and one “unknown” (five cases), Manatee reports one positive employee (one case).

• Palmetto Elementary, DOH reports one positive student (one case), Manatee reports one positive employee and one positive student (two cases).

• Palmetto High School, DOH reports two positive students (two cases), Manatee reports one positive employee (one case).

• Southeast High, DOH reports three people in the “unknown” category (three cases), Manatee reports two positive employees (two cases).

• Tara Elementary, DOH reports two positive students (two cases), Manatee reports three positive students (three cases).

A spokesman for the Florida Department of Health acknowledged a reporter’s questions but no response was available as of Wednesday afternoon.

Mike Barber, spokesman for the School District of Manatee County, said cases in local schools are thoroughly investigated with help from the county health department. Each case and related exposure is then uploaded to the district website, www.manateeschools.net.

“These numbers seem to be emanating from the state Department of Health and we’re not sure how that plays into it,” Barber said. “We can’t really explain the discrepancies.”

“We feel very confident about the numbers we’re putting on our dashboard,” he continued. “They are reflective of cases that had impact on our schools.”

This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 4:17 PM.