Manatee County schools plan for ‘normal pre-COVID conditions.’ Here’s what that means

This article has been updated to reflect changes in the CDC’s guidance for K-12 schools.

When students return to Manatee County public schools in August, families will have control over how much — or how little — their children practice safety measures during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The plan satisfied families who packed recent School Board meetings and called for an end to mask mandates and student quarantines. But for parents like Carey Sanders, it meant another year of home-schooling for her two children, ages 5 and 6.

Sanders, who has an underlying medical condition, feared that a surge in COVID-19 cases through Florida, along with the new, more infectious delta variant, would pose a risk to her children and household.

“It’s not our first choice to home-school them,” she said. “And we feel very privileged that we’re able to make that choice. We know there’s a lot of people who can’t make that choice.”

The 2021-2022 school year marks a shift to “normal pre-COVID conditions,” according to a presentation delivered to school principals last month. The Bradenton Herald recently obtained a copy of the presentation and confirmed the information was up to date as of Thursday.

It said schools would no longer send students into quarantine after an exposure to COVID-19, a shift from the previous school year, when local schools sent thousands of people home over the course of two semesters.

For the most part, students can now remain in school after an exposure, meaning they stayed in close contact with an infected person for at least 15 minutes. School nurses, the presentation said, will handle exposures on a case-by-case basis, watching for signs of an outbreak in classrooms, sports or school clubs.

“We’ll inform parents of when there’s a positive case in their school or classroom, and then it’s up to them to decide,” district spokesman Mike Barber said. “If anyone is sick or has flu-like symptoms, they should not be on our campuses. If they don’t have symptoms, then the parents can send them to school.”

Masks and face shields are also voluntary in the new school year. Under immense pressure from state leaders and local protesters, the School Board voted to end a districtwide mask mandate last May.

The decision split families who supported or opposed the mandate. In hopes of finding a middle ground, Manatee County schools recently surveyed families who have elementary students — those unable to get vaccinated because of their age.

The survey asked whether parents would send their kids to school with a mask. It then asked whether families would prefer their children be taught in a classroom where other students are wearing a mask as well.

As with all pandemic measures, the idea of splitting students between masked and unmasked classrooms is contentious. Opponents have likened the idea to segregation, while Sanders said she might allow her kids to move from home-schooling to on-campus learning if the precaution were in place.

The survey began last Monday and was scheduled to end on Friday.

“At this time, each school is determining their families’ level of interest in this possible scheduling accommodation,” it states. “Scheduling students in this manner will depend on many factors that are still under consideration.”

The New Normal

The discussion on COVID-19 — including the safety measures still in place — is slated to continue at Tuesday’s School Board meeting.

According to the agenda, board members will review “COVID-19 protocols and procedures” for the new school year. They include:

• Empowering families to make their own informed decisions.
• Continuing to clean and disinfect all schools.
• Maintaining “ample supplies of hand sanitizer” and other supplies.
• Providing the community with updates on positive COVID-19 cases in schools.
• Sending home students and employees who test positive or exhibit flu-like symptoms.
• Practicing social distancing, hallway transition patterns and “other strategies when possible and appropriate.”

The School Board meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Walter E. Miller School Support Center, 215 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. Meetings are also broadcast live on Spectrum Channel 646 and Frontier Channel 39, along with the Manatee Schools Television website, mstv.us.

Barber, the district spokesman, said Manatee schools also plan to continue reporting COVID-19 cases on a public dashboard. District leaders expect the reports to be less detailed than last year, however.

And though plans for the new school year were taking shape, Barber said schools would be flexible as classes and pandemic concerns continue.

“One thing we’ve learned during Covid is things are subject to change,” he said.

What do the experts say?

Applying universal safety measures is more complicated in the new school year.

While the district required everyone to wear a mask or to quarantine after an exposure in the previous year, schools must now consider that some students and employees are vaccinated — a factor not present for most of the last school year.

About 57% of Manatee County residents got at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of July 15, the state reported.

And according to data provided by the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County on July 14, about 6% of local children between the ages of 12 to 14 have received their first dose of a vaccine, while 12% completed the series.

Initially, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all unvaccinated students and teachers wear a mask indoors, aside from children under the age of 2.

But the CDC updated its guidance on Tuesday, citing the highly infectious delta variant and recommending masks for all teachers, staff and students, regardless of their vaccination status.

“COVID-19 prevention strategies remain critical to protect people, including students, teachers, and staff, who are not fully vaccinated, especially in areas of moderate-to-high community transmission levels,” the CDC reported.

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued similar guidance before the CDC update, recommending that all students above the age of 2 wear a mask — regardless of local conditions or vaccination status.

The academy’s guidance said widespread mask use was needed during a time when young students were not eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. And universal masking, the report said, eliminates the need for schools to request the vaccination status of students and employees.

“An added benefit of universal masking is protection of students and staff against other respiratory illnesses that would take time away from school,” it continues.

Still, a mask mandate was unlikely to resurface in Manatee County or elsewhere in Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran have made it clear that schools are expected to make face coverings optional in the new year.

In Manatee County, families will make their own decisions. Will their children wear a mask to school? Will they quarantine after a classmate tests positive for COVID-19?

Time was running out to answer those vital questions, as students prepare for their return to school in two weeks.

“Through planning and preparation, the School District of Manatee County will successfully open schools in August with the health, safety and welfare of all students and staff continuing to be our top priority,” the district said in its plan for the new year.

This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 6:34 AM.