Manatee County families choose in-person school over social distancing, poll says

Thousands of Manatee County families said they would send their children to school despite social distancing concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a poll by the school district.

“Would you choose to send your child to Brick and Mortar (5 days a week on campus) even if this made social distancing more difficult at your school?”

Nearly 7,270 people — or 59 percent of those responding — answered yes. Another 23 percent said they would not choose in-person classes if it made social distancing harder, while 18 percent said they had no plans to choose the option either way.

More than 8,600 people — or 70 percent of those responding — said they had no desire to switch their child’s learning format after the first quarter, which ends on Friday. Another 3,786 people said they would transition to a new learning option, whether it be online learning, in-person classes or the hybrid schedule, which rotates between digital and on-campus learning.

The poll garnered 12,539 responses before it closed in late September (families were not required to answer every question). Their answers will likely influence the conversation at Thursday’s school board workshop, scheduled for 11 a.m. at the administration building in downtown Bradenton.

Board members will review the community feedback and discuss next steps at the meeting. Scott Hopes, a board member and epidemiologist, said the district would need added safety measures if more students returned to campus in the second quarter.

A lack of social distancing can lead to exposures, meaning students or employees were within six feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes, forcing the exposed people to quarantine for 14 days.

There have been more than 1,050 exposures and quarantines in the first quarter of the 2020-21 school year, and more on-campus learners could exacerbate the problem.

“The only way I can conceivably see operating the middle and high schools as safely as possible . . . is maybe go to split sessions,” he said, envisioning a campus with more students. “You’d have one group of students come in the morning and one group of students would come in the afternoon.”

Hopes also supported a continuation of the board’s mask policy and other district-wide safety efforts. The district recorded more than 80 COVID-19 cases and more than 1,000 quarantines since the start of classes, and with approximately 34,000 people in district buildings and offices, those numbers could be much higher without ongoing precautions.

Alex Bounds, a resident of Bradenton, waited for his son outside of Ballard Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon. Bounds reflected on the statewide closure of schools in late March, when he was forced to cut down on work and help his son with online learning. His son’s mother was forced to work solely at night and they struggled to maintain the schedule.

For that reason, Bounds’ son became a full-time, on-campus student in the 2020-21 school year. Ballard Elementary has since confirmed two COVID-19 cases and 29 quarantines since the start of classes on Aug. 17.

Bounds said his son was among the people who were exposed and sent home for two weeks.

“It’s disturbing,” the father said. “They made us take him to the doctor before we could bring him back to school. He’s back now and everything’s been copacetic so far.”

The district survey also offered insight into the experiences and needs of Manatee’s online learners. While the majority of families said their children had reliable internet access at home, another 1,274 people said their connection was slow and 219 people said they no access to reliable internet services.

Another 2,282 people said their household shared a tablet, laptop or computer, while 1,202 said their children had no electronic devices.

“How easy or difficult is it for your child to use the virtual learning platform eLearning Manatee (Schoology)?”

More than 2,500 people — or 20 percent of those responding — said it was very easy for their children to learn online. Another 26 percent said it was “somewhat easy,” followed by the 15 percent of people who chose “somewhat difficult” and the 7 percent who chose “very difficult.” The remaining families said their child was not in virtual learning.

When asked about their child’s current learning option, a majority of families chose the traditional five-day schedule on campus:

• Five days a week on campus — 6,012 people, or 48 percent of respondents.
• Hybrid, two days on campus and two days off — 2,335 people, or 19 percent.
• Schoology (eLearning) — 4,115 people, or 33 percent.
• Manatee Virtual — 62 people, or 1 percent.

The poll revealed that 6,578 people — or 53 percent of those responding — were “extremely satisfied” with their child’s current learning format. Another 36 percent of families chose “somewhat satisfied,” while 11 percent chose “not at all satisfied.”

Manatee’s five school board members will discuss the findings at Thursday’s workshop. Though the meeting is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., the agenda starts with a conversation on project financing, followed by a private session on risk management and litigation.

The board room at 215 Manatee Ave. W. will open with a limited capacity of 15 guests, according to the district website. Meetings are also broadcast live on Spectrum Channel 646 and Frontier Channel 39, along with www.mstv.us.

This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 4:17 PM.