As COVID cases surge in Florida, the Manatee School Board promotes family choice
Two months ago, when the Manatee County School Board voted to end its campus mask mandate, board Chairman Charlie Kennedy felt confident about the move.
Many people had access to a COVID-19 vaccine, and students and teachers could voluntarily wear a mask in the new year, board members said at the time, just before casting a unanimous vote to end the mandate.
But life has changed since then.
“I felt very comfortable removing it, but not as comfortable now,” Kennedy said during a meeting on Tuesday evening, when board members discussed COVID-19 measures for the new school year.
While students are preparing for a return to school on Aug. 10, in less than two weeks, Florida is facing a spike in COVID-19 cases. In its weekly update on Friday, the state Department of Health reported 73,166 new resident cases — 61% higher than the previous report.
Days later, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance for K-12 schools. Citing the highly contagious delta variant that now has a footing in the country, the agency recommended that all students and school staff wear face coverings, regardless of vaccination status.
The American Academy of Pediatrics made the same recommendation earlier this month. In its guidance, the organization said new variants “may change both transmissibility and infection in children and adolescents, even in those who have been vaccinated.”
“With the developments of the last two weeks, I really worry about having no mask policy in schools,” Kennedy said, adding that a mask requirement was unlikely in the new school year.
“I don’t think there’s three votes on this board to put a temporary mask policy in,” he continued. “But I do want to express for people in this community who are worried about sending your kids into school: I’m worried about it, too. But I don’t act alone. We act as a board.”
Board member Gina Messenger pointed to a memo sent from state Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to school superintendents on April 14. He said masks should be optional in the new school year — the same message touted by Gov. Ron DeSantis in recent weeks.
And though board member Mary Foreman had concerns about the situation in Manatee County, which reported more than 990 new cases in the state’s weekly report, she also said that parents’ informed decision-making would be the No. 1 tool in August.
“Let them know what the positivity rates are,” Foreman said. “Personally, I would go so far as to say we recommend — the district recommends — face masks in buildings. But that might be pushing it too far.”
The board’s vice chair, James Golden, later tried to delay the plans and survey families on their preferences for the new year.
“I’m not wanting to be swayed simply by the loudest voices,” Golden said, addressing a room full of men and women who strongly opposed a mask requirement. “I would simply like to be informed by all of the parents who have children who are impacted by whether they wear masks or not.”
Other board members said the time for surveys had ended. Teachers return on Aug. 3, followed by students’ first day of class a week later, giving urgency to the board’s COVID-19 plans.
With that urgency in mind, the board reviewed and accepted a list of measures from the school district on Tuesday night. The first item on the list said that schools will “empower families to make their own informed choices regarding the use of face masks/coverings and vaccines.”
The list also said that local schools would:
Continue thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all schools.
Maintain ample supplies of hand sanitizer, continue emphasis on hand-washing protocols and have “additional COVID protection materials in stock.”
Continue to inform students, families and employees regarding accessibility for COVID vaccinations.
Continue to update school air filtration systems.
Maintain the District Operations Center (DOC) to manage and coordinate the response to COVID in our schools with the Florida Department of Health Manatee.
Continue to provide the community with updates regarding positive cases in schools.
Notify parents of positive cases via Connect-Ed messages so they can make informed decisions about their child’s attendance.
Ensure students with specialized needs receive appropriate care.
Prevent students and employees who test positive for COVID-19 or who have flu-like symptoms from attending their school or reporting to their job site.
Continue to utilize social distancing, hallway transition patterns, personal spacing and other strategies when possible and appropriate.
Have teachers continue to operate their classrooms in the safest manner possible.
Continue an all-encompassing approach to behavioral and mental health support services to students.
Ensure school nurses are properly trained and ready to handle COVID related cases.
Communicate county COVID testing sites to all parents, students and employees.
People attending Tuesday’s meeting applauded the shift to family choice. Addressing the board, Paula Lohnes compared masks to “Draconian measures,” while Jean Henderson said the pandemic was “part of the globalist agenda to control people.”
Such comments have vastly outweighed support for mask mandates or other measures at recent School Board meetings.
Addressing the board by phone on Tuesday evening, a single person supported greater measures in the new school year. Haley Lord, who identified herself as a registered nurse in Manatee County, said she feared sending her children to school with “people who are still not following the science.”
“I do want parents to feel confident that we’ve got this,” Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said. “We will pay attention to what’s going on, they will be informed, and if we see adjustments need to be made, they will be made.”
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 1:51 PM.