Rising COVID-19 cases slow Manatee County school buses, shut down football game

As COVID-19 cases reach new heights in Manatee County schools, local families are faced with mask mandates, bus delays and changes to a high school football program.

The latest update was on Wednesday, when the school district reported 129 new cases in local schools and district offices. The update followed Tuesday’s report of 169 cases, bringing the total number of known infections among students and employees to more than 600 during the first two weeks of school.

In the previous school year, the district reported fewer than 30 cases during the first two weeks of classes.

To see a full list of COVID-19 cases at local schools and district offices in the current school year, visit manateeschools.net/covidDB.

The Voluntary Mask Mandate

This year’s drastic increase moved three School Board members — Charlie Kennedy, Mary Foreman and James Golden — to vote for a temporary mask mandate at Monday’s emergency meeting.

And a district spokesman confirmed that local schools would soon reach out to families with instructions on how to opt out of the mask requirement — a provision required by the state.

“Those forms will be available through your schools both electronically and on paper for parents to fill out,” the district said in a recent message sent to families.

School Bus Shortages

The same message informed parents and guardians that COVID-19 would likely cause “substantial delays in school district bus transportation.”

District spokesman Mike Barber said on Wednesday that Manatee County schools were about 20 drivers short when the school year began, and that approximately 20 other drivers “had to miss work for health reasons” during the first two weeks of school.

“If you can provide transportation for your students by other means, such as car or carpool, it will help this situation,” the district said in its recent notice to families.

The Outbreak at MHS

The rising COVID-19 cases also hit a local sports program.

In an email sent to parents and guardians on Sunday, Jacquez Green, the head coach at Manatee High School, said football operations would come to a temporary halt.

“Due to the latest COVID-19 outbreak we will be taking a two-day operational pause to have all the locker rooms and football facilities sanitized,” the email stated, offering no further information on the outbreak. “What this means to each player is that the stadium is off limits until Wednesday (the) 18th of August. No football practice or weightlifting classes.”

“When we return to practice on Wednesday each player will be required to provide their own personal water bottle and towel,” Green said in a follow-up email that afternoon. “Their water bottles can be refilled by our training staff.”

Days after the emails went out to families, Manatee High School announced on Facebook that Friday’s preseason game with Tampa Bay Tech was canceled, citing “the health and safety of our coaches and players.”

This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 3:58 PM.