Manatee Schools Report 38 Cases Of Coronavirus In 22 Schools

BRADENTON, FL — With the new school year less than a month old, the School District of Manatee County reported 38 cases of the coronavirus in 22 schools through the district's new school-specific dashboard launched Thursday to provide transparency for parents of school children.

"The dashboard shows any positive cases identified on our school campuses," a district spokeswoman told Patch.

District officials said they had chosen not to release details of coronavirus cases at schools or support sites for the first three weeks of the new school year because of privacy considerations.

You can view the dashboard here.

"In balancing privacy concerns with the public’s need to know, we have determined that providing a dashboard of confirmed cases by school still protects confidentiality, while providing important information related to specific schools," district officials said.

The Manatee District’s dashboard displays the number of confirmed cases in individual Manatee District schools and support sites dating back to the first day of school on Aug. 17. The dashboard will also include the total number of cases in the district dating back to the start of the current school year.

“The dashboard will be help our parents and employees understand how COVID-19 is impacting our schools and school district on a daily basis as well as over time,” District Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said in announcing the dashboard.

“We are still committed to protecting the medical privacy rights of individuals impacted by COVID-19, and we believe the dashboard will provide useful insight while also protecting individual confidentiality," she said.

The following Manatee schools were listed on the dashboard as of Thursday with cases of the virus:

• Ballard Elementary: Two cases
• Bayshore Elementary: One case
• Blackburn Elementary: Two cases
• Braden River Middle: One case
• Gullett Elementary: One case
• Harvey Elementary: Two cases
• Lakewood Ranch High: One case
• Lincoln Memorial Academy: One case
• Manatee High: Four cases
• MTC All Campuses: Five cases
• Mills Elementary: One case
• Moody Elementary: One case
• Nolan Middle: Two cases
• Palma Sola Elementary: Two cases
• Palmetto Elementary: One case
• Palmetto High: Two cases
• Parrish Community High: One case
• Samoset Elementary: Two cases
• Sugg Middle: One case
• Tara Elementary: Two cases
• Williams Elementary: Two cases
• Willis Elementary: One case

District officials noted guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which states: “Schools should determine, in collaboration with state and local health officials to the extent possible, whether and how to implement each of these considerations while adjusting to meet the unique needs and circumstances of the local community.”

The CDC defines direct exposure as anyone who has had close contact (less than 6 feet) with a person known to have COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes, starting from 48 hours before the person began feeling sick until the time the confirmed case is isolated, according to school officials.

"Individuals in a School District of Manatee County school who are identified as having had direct exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19 are notified by their school," district officials said. "If elementary students are identified as having had direct exposure, their parents are called by school administrators and informed that they will have to be quarantined for 14 days from the date of last known exposure. Parents of secondary school students are informed by letter, phone or both."

In addition to informing those individuals directly impacted, the school will send out a Connect-Ed phone message or email to all employees and parents to let them know there has been a confirmed case or cases on their campus and that there have been direct exposures if applicable.

"The Connect-Ed message sent out to the general school community does not contain details which violate laws under the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)," school officials said.