3 students in Manatee School District catch COVID-19. Here are the affected campuses

Three students in the Manatee County School District have newly tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, at least 27 people at four campuses had to quarantine because they were exposed to the students.

According to Thursday’s update from the school district, infected and exposed people were sent home from the following Manatee County schools:

• Jain Middle School, one positive student and five exposures.
• Lee Middle School, one positive student and two exposures.
• Palmetto High School, one positive student and 20 exposures.

As of Thursday night, the district recorded a total of 567 cases and at least 7,355 exposures at local schools and district offices in the second semester, which began Jan. 4.

Lakewood Ranch High recorded a total of 45 cases after the latest update, the most of any school in the current semester. Manatee High had the second-highest count with 37 cases, followed by Palmetto High School, with 30. and Buffalo Creek Middle School, 28. Among elementary schools, Moody Elementary had the most cases — 18.

There were 419 cases recorded in the district during the first semester of the current school year.

To see how many cases have been reported at each campus, visit the district’s online dashboard.

This story was originally published April 23, 2021 at 7:40 AM.