What does a new school year hold in Manatee during a COVID surge? Expect some changes

Manatee County students return to class on Tuesday, marking another year of mixed emotions and ever-changing plans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021-2022 school year follows a record-breaking surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the delta variant. Meanwhile, local schools are planning for a return to “normal pre-COVID conditions,” exciting some families — and terrifying others — who envision a year with few masks or quarantines.

Manatee teachers are coming into the new year with supplies, decorations — and the same conflicting feelings, said Pat Barber, longtime president of the teachers union.

“I know teachers are busy getting ready,” Barber said. “They’re ready to welcome kids back and they’re excited about it. But also some of them are apprehensive about keeping themselves and their students safe.”

On Aug. 3, one week before the start of classes, Florida hospitals admitted 46 children with a confirmed infection, along with 22 others with a suspected case of COVID — more pediatric admissions than any other state.

The state also reported 23,903 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, Florida’s highest single-day count since the pandemic began last year.

Now, in the days leading up to students’ return, school leaders are scrambling to balance calls for personal freedom and proper safety during another pandemic school year.

Superintendent Cynthia Saunders reached an agreement with the union on Thursday, promising safety measures for Manatee County’s teachers and paraprofessionals.

The School Board also plans to meet on Monday morning for a special meeting. The agenda is dedicated to reviewing new guidelines from the Florida Department of Health and the State Board of Education.

New rules for teachers

Last year, the district banned most visitors from school campuses. Parents had to leave their children at the front door on their first day of school — an especially hard COVID-19 protocol for families taking their children to kindergarten for the first time.

Visitors are once again allowed on school campuses in August, but only if they agree to certain safety measures, according to a new agreement between the superintendent and the Manatee Education Association teachers union.

“Visitors will be allowed in schools during the student day only if they agree to wear masks or provide proof of being vaccinated,” it reads.

Signed and dated Aug. 5, the agreement also offers teachers and paraprofessionals an extra day of leave for getting vaccinated. The incentive applies to all educators with proof of vaccination, regardless of whether they were immunized before or after the agreement, Barber said.

Other agreed-upon measures include:

• Teachers have the option to provide makeup work for students who are absent for any reason, “including being quarantined due to COVID.” Teachers can send the work by email or post it in Schoology, the district’s virtual platform. They can also allow the student to “attend class virtually,” according to the agreement.

• The district agrees to follow current CDC guidelines by minimizing contact among staff. That includes social distancing among faculty and staff at all school and district meetings.
• Whenever possible, virtual platforms will be used for training, planning, record days and meetings.
• The district will supply employees with the necessary PPE (personal protective equipment) as required by their current positions.
• Classroom schedules and hallway transitions, along with school arrival and dismissal plans, will be designed for social distancing.
• Parent arrival to open houses and back-to-school nights will be staggered.
• Parent arrival will also be staggered for the first day of elementary school.

• High-risk employees can request a move to Manatee Virtual. This measure hinges on the availability of open positions.

• Teachers and paraprofessionals “will not be given duties that are outside their adopted job description or asked to assume the responsibilities of other employees.”

The agreement already had an impact on local campuses, where schools held open houses over the past week. Manatee County schools posted celebratory pictures to their social media accounts, documenting large crowds of people — many without a mask — in their hallways, classrooms and cafeterias.

But soon after the ink dried on Thursday’s agreement, schools began to announce that remaining open-house events would move to staggered arrivals. Tara Elementary, for example, said that prekindergarten and K-1 families should arrive between 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, followed by students in grades 2 through 5 at a later time, limiting crowd size.

“We’re not just responsible for being concerned about ourselves, but about everybody else,” Barber, the union president, said. “If we really want to stay in school and learning, we should all practice safety measures that will allow that to happen, including wearing a mask voluntarily.”

Parental doubts and divine intervention

Faith leaders gathered on Thursday for a back-to-school prayer rally. Asking for protection over the approximately 50,000 students and 6,000 district employees in Manatee County, the speakers reflected on COVID-19 and the challenges ahead.

Organizers planned to rally at the Manatee Performing Arts Center. However, in a Facebook post a day before the event, they advised residents to stay home and watch the prayers from a livestream, citing “the COVID surge.”

“Lord, I know that it is so difficult right now with the school system, trying to make the best decisions, trying to carry on a system of children in the midst of a pandemic,” retired school administrator Minnie King said during her closing prayer.

“Lord, I just pray for [Superintendent] Saunders and all those that work under her to have your strength, to have your knowledge, to have your ability to deal with each one of the situations,” she continued.

Parents will need plenty of strength as well. On Tuesday morning, when students return to class, Ashley DeMichiel will send her 5-year-old daughter to kindergarten for the first time.

In a normal year, the mother said, she would worry about her daughter finding the right classroom or meeting new friends. Anxiety is normal for such a momentous occasion. But the new school year is far from normal.

“School’s supposed to be a safe place,” she said. “We have a lot of other things to worry about sending our children to school, especially for the first time, and I don’t think health and safety is something I should be thinking about.”

Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend universal mask use for educators and students older than 2. As of Friday, however, Manatee schools had no mask requirement.

DeMichiel plans to send her daughter to school with a mask, but face coverings work better when everyone takes part.

And though COVID-19 appeared to be less of a threat to children, especially compared to the elderly and immuno-compromised, the highly infectious delta variant raises new concerns.

“People say, ‘Put your kid in Florida Virtual School.’ I shouldn’t have to do that,” DeMichiel said. “Her mental health is already suffering because she’s been home for so long. All she wants to do is go to school, and I should at least know that every precaution is being taken.”

The push for family choice

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued in Florida, local families packed School Board meetings and demanded that mask mandates and student quarantines come to an end. They found an ally in Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently threatened to pull state funding in school districts that required masks.

In turn, the Manatee County School Board ended its mask mandate last May — a decision that remained as of Friday. The school district also planned to end mandatory quarantines for students exposed to COVID-19, allowing students with no symptoms to remain in class if they choose.

Families applauded in the School Board chambers, while parents with opposing views — those afraid to attend in-person meetings and join maskless crowds — have largely avoided the public debate in Manatee County.

Special School Board meeting

That debate may continue on Monday morning, when the School Board holds a special meeting to discuss new guidance from the State Board of Education and the Florida Department of Health.

The health guidance, signed by state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees on Friday, says that students exposed to COVID-19 “should not attend school, school-sponsored activities, or be on school property.” The guidance clashes with Manatee’s voluntary quarantine rule for asymptomatic students.

The state health department also said that “students may wear masks or facial coverings as a mitigation measure,” but it goes on to say that parents and guardians should have a choice to opt out of mandates.

And the state Board of Education approved a rule on Friday that allows students to use a Hope Scholarship — previously reserved for victims of bullying — to leave school districts where masks are required.

So far, that isn’t Manatee.

Meeting details

When: Monday’s meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Walter E. Miller School Support Center.

Where: 215 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

Livestream: School Board meetings are broadcast live on Spectrum Channel 646 and Frontier Channel 39, along with the Manatee Schools Television website, mstv.us.

Public Comment: To submit a comment in advance, send an email to public_comment@manateeschools.net.

In-person comment: To address the board in person, visit manateeschools.net, navigate to the “District” tab, click on “School Board” and then click on “Minutes and Agendas.” You can then pick a meeting date and follow the link for public comment registration. Otherwise, you can arrive to the meeting early and sign up before the board convenes.

This story was originally published August 8, 2021 at 6:00 AM.