No time for a ‘false sense of security’ as COVID-19 threatens schools, officials say

COVID-19 was still a threat to Manatee County schools and the greatest challenges may lie ahead, officials say.

Addressing the school board by phone on Thursday evening, Dr. Jennifer Bencie said there was a recent uptick in the county’s positivity rate, which averaged 4.7 percent on Thursday. That rate was even higher for local students, especially among those between the ages of 14 to 17.

Bencie, who heads the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County, said there was a positivity rate of about 12 percent among Manatee County students who got tested for COVID-19. It was vital, she said, to continue mask-wearing, surface cleaning and hand-washing if the district wanted to keep schools open.

“We’re starting to see it trend up in the community, which concerns us overall,” Bencie said.

Now that Manatee schools have completed their first quarter with no closures or major outbreaks, the district expects a large migration of students from online classes to the traditional in-person schedule. The transition would surely increase exposure numbers in the coming months, Bencie said.

The term “exposure” describes close and prolonged contact with an infected person. If someone stays within six feet of a COVID-19 case for at least 15 minutes, the exposed employee or student is then forced to quarantine for 14 days.

“As we won’t be able to do the six feet apart in most of the classrooms, more students will be sent home when we are doing contact tracing moving forward, as the number of children in the classroom continues to increase,” Bencie said.

There have been 94 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 1,100 related exposures in Manatee County schools since the start of classes on Aug. 17. With approximately 34,000 employees and students in district buildings each week, school leaders are counting the first quarter as a success.

“By all accounts we’re doing really well,” board member James Golden said at Thursday’s meeting.

Board members grappled with the need to accommodate families, including those who want a return to campus, along with the need to keep fighting new infections and exposures. Superintendent Cynthia Saunders sparked a lengthy discussion when she suggested eliminating the hybrid option, which promotes social distancing by rotating students between online and in-person classes.

That conversation will likely resume at Tuesday’s school board meeting. And while the fate of the hybrid option was uncertain, district leaders and board members were clear about their desire to maintain safety precautions whenever possible.

“I think we’re all very pleasantly surprised by how few cases we’ve had on our campuses . . . and I just don’t want the community to be lulled into this false sense of security,” said Charlie Kennedy, the board’s vice chair.

Kevin Chapman, the director of strategic planning, assured board members that Manatee schools had no intention of letting their guard down, despite the changes happening all around them.

County commissioners voted 4-3 to lift their mask mandate in late September, shortly after Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended all fines and penalties resulting from a local government’s face-covering rules. DeSantis also lifted restrictions on bars, restaurants and other businesses.

The school district immediately heard from parents — both for and against masks — who wanted to know if schools were reversing their requirements. In response, Chapman said no county or state decision would influence the district’s own precautions.

“The health, welfare and safety of our students and employees is our utmost priority,” he said. “We need to stay vigilant when it comes to masks and hygiene and our social distancing on school property. We’re going to start another round of communicating that to employees and students so we don’t see an uptick.”

Board members voted 4-1, with Gina Messenger dissenting, to establish the mask policy in early August. Emergency policies expire after 90 days, meaning board members will have to establish a general, long-lasting policy on the need for masks during a health crisis.

Chapman said the board will need to vote and activate the policy at their Nov. 10 meeting if they want mask-wearing to continue.

Scott Hopes, a board member and epidemiologist, said COVID-19 infections may spike without ongoing precautions and added safety measures, especially in crowded middle schools and high schools.

“What we’re doing is working but the virus is out there, it’s being spread,” Hopes said. “Older children are getting it at a higher rate and they may be getting it because their younger siblings have it. There’s just a lot of unknowns out there.”

This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 6:00 AM.