How many Manatee County students will return to campus? Here’s a look at each school

About 50 percent of Manatee County students plan to make a full return to campus in the 2020-21 school year. In elementary schools, a majority of students will attend school five days a week.

The School District of Manatee County offered three options to all students: online learning, in-person classes or a mix of both. The state education department approved Manatee’s reopening plan on Tuesday.

Superintendent Cynthia Saunders offered an update during a virtual Manatee Chamber of Commerce event on Wednesday, hours after the state reported 97 new COVID-19 cases and 15 more deaths in Manatee County. Her presentation included the percentage of students who planned to learn in traditional, online or hybrid classes at each school.

According to the most recent data available, 20,160 students — not including those in charter schools — will learn under the traditional schedule, meaning five days of in-person classes each week. They represent 50 percent of students in traditional schools.

Another 10,299 students will continue with full-time online classes, and 9,688 students will learn under the hybrid schedule, meaning two days of in-person classes and three days online.

Families had until last week to pick a learning option. Manatee then placed students on a default schedule if their families chose not to pick an option. The default for elementary schools was a traditional five-day schedule, while secondary schools defaulted to the hybrid schedule.

Teachers are scheduled to return on Monday and students are slated to begin on Aug. 17. Plans could always change before and after the start of school, as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, Saunders said on Wednesday.

“We ask that everyone has patience with us, because we do know things could change,” she said. “We may have to deliver differently. We may have to make some quick adjustments as we’ve seen thus far since March.”

Elementary schools

The majority of elementary students — more than 65 percent — will start the year on a traditional schedule.

At a past school board meeting, Saunders said elementary-age children struggled with online learning in past months. She also said working parents struggled to find child care or to help their children with online coursework.

• Abel Elementary: 4 percent hybrid, 30 percent online and 66 percent traditional.
• Anna Maria Elementary: 0 percent hybrid, 18 percent online and 82 percent traditional.
• Bashaw Elementary: 2 percent hybrid, 26 percent online and 72 percent traditional.
• Blackburn Elementary: 4 percent hybrid, 34 percent online and 62 percent traditional.
• Daughtrey Elementary: 5 percent hybrid, 38 percent online and 57 percent traditional.
• Harvey Elementary: 3 percent hybrid, 21 percent online and 76 percent traditional.
• Moody Elementary: 7 percent hybrid, 30 percent online and 63 percent traditional.
• Myakka Elementary: 5 percent hybrid, 30 percent online and 65 percent traditional.
• Oneco Elementary: 3 percent hybrid, 31 percent online and 65 percent traditional.

• Palma Sola Elementary: 4 percent hybrid, 26 percent online and 70 percent traditional.

• Palmetto Elementary: 5 percent hybrid, 20 percent online and 75 percent traditional.
• Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary: 6 percent hybrid, 36 percent online and 58 percent traditional.
• Samoset Elementary: 1 percent hybrid, 36 percent online and 63 percent traditional.
• Stewart Elementary: 6 percent hybrid, 31 percent online and 63 percent traditional.
• Tara Elementary: 7 percent hybrid, 34 percent online and 59 percent traditional.
• Willis Elementary: 2 percent hybrid, 34 percent online and 64 percent traditional.
• Ballard Elementary: 1 percent hybrid, 19 percent online and 80 percent traditional.
• Bayshore Elementary: 4 percent hybrid, 27 percent online and 69 percent traditional.
• Braden River Elementary: 8 percent hybrid, 26 percent online and 65 percent traditional.
• Freedom Elementary: 2 percent hybrid, 28 percent online and 70 percent traditional.
• Gullett Elementary: 8 percent hybrid, 29 percent online and 63 percent traditional.
• Kinnan Elementary: 5 percent hybrid, 31 percent online and 63 percent traditional.
• Manatee Elementary: 7 percent hybrid, 18 percent online and 75 percent traditional.
• McNeal Elementary: 3 percent hybrid, 27 percent online and 70 percent traditional.
• Miller Elementary: 3 percent hybrid, 27 percent online and 70 percent traditional.
• Mills Elementary: 4 percent hybrid, 23 percent online and 73 percent traditional.
• Palm View Elementary: 4 percent hybrid, 19 percent online and 77 percent traditional.
• Prine Elementary: 4 percent hybrid, 23 percent online and 73 percent traditional.
• Sea Breeze Elementary: 3 percent hybrid, 24 percent online and 73 percent traditional.
• Tillman Elementary: 1 percent hybrid, 20 percent online and 79 percent traditional.
• Williams Elementary: 5 percent hybrid, 23 percent online and 72 percent traditional.
• Witt Elementary: 7 percent hybrid, 25 percent online and 68 percent traditional.

Middle schools

• Braden River Middle: 27 percent hybrid, 30 percent online and 43 percent traditional.
• Buffalo Creek Middle: 30 percent hybrid, 27 percent online and 43 percent traditional.
• Haile Middle: 32 percent hybrid, 27 percent online and 41 percent traditional.
• Johnson Middle: 9 percent hybrid, 34 percent online and 57 percent traditional.
• King Middle: 37 percent hybrid, 19 percent online and 44 percent traditional.
• Lee Middle: 25 percent hybrid, 30 percent online and 45 percent traditional.
• Lincoln Middle: 13 percent, 26 percent online and 60 percent traditional.
• Mona Jain Middle: 33 percent hybrid, 27 percent online and 40 percent traditional.
• Nolan Middle: 40 percent hybrid, 22 percent online and 38 percent traditional.
• Sugg Middle: 22 percent hybrid, 28 percent online and 51 percent traditional.

High schools

• Bayshore High: 53 percent hybrid, 23 percent online and 23 percent traditional.
• Braden River High: 45 percent hybrid, 21 percent online and 34 percent traditional.
• Lakewood Ranch High: 45 percent hybrid, 20 percent online and 35 percent traditional.
• Manatee High: 42 percent hybrid, 23 percent online and 35 percent traditional.
• Parrish Community High: 28 percent hybrid, 24 percent online and 48 percent traditional.
• Palmetto High: 46 percent hybrid, 25 percent online and 29 percent traditional.
• Southeast High: 65 percent hybrid, 22 percent online and 13 percent traditional.
• Horizons Academy: 66 percent hybrid, 19 percent online and 15 percent traditional.

Saunders’ presentation also included an overview of the district’s safety measures. She said there would be daily temperature checks for employees and random checks for students. Both staff and students will receive cloth masks, and the district will address medical conditions and individualized education plans, or IEPs, on a case-by-case basis.

“Every individual is required to wear face masks,” Saunders said. “Face coverings have to be worn by students, by employees, and I would say visitors but visitors are limited.”

The district also bought clear dividers to separate students, especially in elementary schools, and Saunders said the district was “making plans in the classroom for social distancing.”

“School is right around the corner,” the superintendent said. “Pandemic or not, COVID or not, school continues.”

This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 5:00 PM.