COVID cases spike in Manatee schools after winter break. ‘We’ll get through this.’

The number of COVID-19 cases in Manatee County schools has sharply increased in the days following winter break.

On Monday, less than a week after students and educators returned, the school district reported 92 cases, including 66 among students and 26 among staff.

The district reported another 101 cases Tuesday, 84 among students and 17 among staff.

That’s a departure from the single-digit case numbers seen by local schools in recent months. On Dec. 21, a day before winter break, the entire school district reported just one new COVID-19 case.

Meanwhile, the omicron variant — which appears to be highly contagious but less severe than delta — fueled a nationwide surge during the holiday break, including a spike in cases among U.S. children and teens.

The School District of Manatee County responded by contacting all of its employees and students at the end of winter break, highlighting the recent surge and asking that people stay home if they have symptoms or a pending COVID test.

That advice remains the same now that classes are back in session and cases are on the rise, district spokesman Mike Barber said Tuesday.

“We’ve been dealing with this since 2020, and the great thing is our schools are doing a good job and our parents are used to adapting to this,” Barber said.

Since the school year began on Aug. 10, five months ago, the school district has discovered at least 2,797 cases among students and 511 cases among employees. That was thanks, in large part, to the record-breaking numbers that marked the start of school last year, before case numbers declined.

Kevin Chapman, chief of staff for Manatee County schools, said it was important to note that recent cases — totaling 193 between Monday and Tuesday— were scattered among 6,000 district employees and more than 40,000 students in traditional schools.

If people utilize COVID-19 testing and stay home when sick, he said, schools can prevent outbreaks and manage the current surge.

“Together, we’ll get through this and keep everybody safe and as healthy as possible,” Chapman said.

Tracking and fighting the surge

Free COVID-19 testing is available to district employees, students and Manatee County government employees who visit John H. Marble Park.

The testing site, 3675 53rd Ave. E. in Bradenton, is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. A school or district ID is required.

Free testing is also available to students and district employees at the Manatee Elementary School and Southeast High School health centers, which are operated by MCR Health. The clinic hours, locations and appointment details are available at manateeschools.net/backtoschool.

For a daily update on COVID-19 cases at local schools and district offices, visit manateeschools.net/covidDB.

And for information on where to find an adult or youth vaccine, visit www.vaccines.gov.

When can students return to school?

Manatee County schools are relying on help from district employees, students and families to combat the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.

Under the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida has barred school boards from implementing mask mandates for students, and the governor reaffirmed last week that schools would remain open, arguing that virtual school hurts students’ academic progress and well-being.

Still in place is the Manatee County School District’s 2022 “decision tree,” which offers guidance to students and district employees who encounter symptoms or a COVID-19 exposure.

If someone is exposed, meaning they stayed within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes, they can remain at school or work if they have no symptoms. If they prefer, students and employees can also choose to go into quarantine for up to five days from the date of exposure.

As of Tuesday, approximately 525 students were absent for a “COVID-19 related issue,” which could mean they had symptoms, a pending test result, a recent exposure, or some other factor that motivated them to stay home.

The number of district-wide absences is updated each evening, as students call out or return to school.

If someone is positive for COVID-19, they can return under one of three conditions:

• The student or employee obtains a negative PCR test and is asymptomatic.

• Five days have passed since the symptoms or positive test arose, allowing students and employees to return on the sixth day if they have no symptoms.

• Or the person receives written permission from a health care provider to return to school or work.

And if employees or students have COVID-like symptoms, they can return after obtaining a negative rapid, PCR or at-home test, assuming their symptoms are gone. Otherwise, they can return if five days pass and their symptoms dissipate.

This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 2:06 PM.