COVID-19 quarantines decline in Manatee schools after Florida issues new rule

Far fewer Manatee County students are going into quarantine after Florida changed the rules on COVID-19 exposures.

When classes began in August, school staff and district leaders were expected to send people home after a COVID-19 exposure, meaning someone stayed in close contact with an infected person for at least 15 minutes.

The only exception was for vaccinated staff and students, along with people who were positive for covid in the last 90 days. And the goal, district leaders said at the time, was to prevent new infections from cropping up and spreading through classrooms and school district offices.

Approximately 411 students and employees went into quarantine on Aug. 23, when the school district began reporting quarantines to the public. That trend continued for several weeks.

According to school district reports, local schools and district offices sent home an average of:

▪ 442 people every day during the week of Aug. 23.

▪ 218 people every day during the week of Aug. 30.

▪ 234 people every day during the week of Sep. 6.

▪ 146 people every day during the week of Sep. 13.

But the number of quarantines took a sharp turn on Sep. 22, one day after Dr. Joseph Ladapo assumed his role as Florida’s newly appointed surgeon general.

According to the emergency rule he signed, parents and guardians — not school leaders or health officials — can now decide whether to keep their children in school after a COVID-19 exposure, assuming they remain asymptomatic.

The new rule had immediate effects in Manatee County, where the school district reported just 23 quarantines on Sep. 23, one day after rule went into effect, followed by:

▪ 11 quarantines on Sep. 24.

▪ 13 quarantines on Sep. 27.

▪ 31 quarantines on Sep. 28

▪ 27 quarantines on Sep. 29

▪ 4 quarantines on Sep. 30

▪ 2 quarantines on Oct. 1

▪ 2 quarantines on Oct. 4

▪ 26 quarantines on Oct. 5

▪ 26 quarantines on Oct. 6

▪ 6 quarantines on Oct. 7

Though quarantine numbers had already started to decline with a decrease in positive COVID-19 cases, it was not until Florida issued its new rule that Manatee Schools’ daily quarantine number began to dip below three dozen.

The emergency rule said in-person classes were important for students’ education and mental health, and that families should decide whether a student goes into quarantine or stays in school after a COVID-19 exposure.

Parents and legal guardians “are uniquely situated to understand the health care, emotional, and educational needs of their minor children,” the rule continues.

‘Parents, we have good news’

One day later, the School District of Manatee County sent a message to families by email and phone call — a message that seemed to applaud Florida’s new rule.

“Parents, we have good news regarding COVID-19 student quarantines,” the message said, going on to explain the new protocol.

But the message was not well-received by all families. In a series of Facebook comments, one woman called the message “tone deaf,” while another called it “infuriating.” Another person linked to a news story about a Palmetto High School student who recently died from COVID-19.

They were among the people who feared that lax safety measures would lead to more infections, health complications and deaths, especially if people with no symptoms accidentally spread the virus.

People with COVID-19 are considered infectious two days before they develop symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that unvaccinated people go into quarantine after an exposure.

In a follow-up message to families, the Manatee County School District walked back its earlier statement, pivoting to a more neutral stance on the change in quarantine rules.

“Parents, a recent Connect-Ed message from the district regarding new COVID-19 quarantine protocols was poorly worded,” the message states. “While providing accurate information, it was inappropriate to use the term ‘good news’ in a message conveying information about COVID-19.”

“We will strive to do better and be mindful of our tone moving forward as we continue to keep the safety of all our students and staff our top priority,” the message continues.

To learn more about the number of quarantines in Manatee County schools, along with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at each campus, visit www.manateeschools.net/covidDB.

This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 3:46 PM.