MANATEE COUNTY – Manatee County students, teachers and staff members will be required to wear face coverings in school buildings and on school buses if schools reopen on Aug. 10 or soon thereafter.
If the Manatee County School Board decides to delay the start of in-person learning due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, students will start the school year using online eLearning.
The Manatee County School Board made the face-covering decision during the board’s June 25 meeting and reiterated that decision during its Thursday, July 9 workshop.
The face-covering requirement is included in the school reopening plan scheduled to be presented to the board for final approval on Tuesday, July 14. If approved by the school board as expected, the reopening plan will be submitted to the Florida Department of Education (DOE) for its approval.
The reopening plan requirements will apply to all schools in Manatee County, including charter schools and private schools. This includes Anna Maria Elementary School in Holmes Beach.
Face coverings were one of many topics school board members and School Superintendent Cynthia Saunders discussed last week. Learning options, extra-curricular activities and reopening concerns were also among the topics discussed.
Face coverings
When discussing mandatory face coverings, Saunders said, “I’ve had just as many differing opinions on this subject as I have on should we open schools or not open schools. Our recommendation is that students, employees or anyone that cannot socially distance is expected to have a face covering.”
Saunders said many schools in the district have already purchased plastic face shields for students and teachers and plastic shields for the desks as well.
“It is very important in the learning years, the formative years, that they (the students) can clearly hear and see the pronunciation of words, the movement of mouth. Some people find it more comfortable to have a shield on than a face mask, so it is my recommendation that if they cannot socially distance, they are expected to have those on,” Saunders said.
Saunders said the face-covering requirement will also apply to all secondary, post-secondary and transportation-related facilities, including school buses. She said face coverings will not be required when the children and staff members are outside and safely socially distancing.
“I have had a number of parents contact me and say that their child may have a medical issue or medical concern. We will definitely look into any child or any employee that could have a medical issue and address these on an individual basis,” she added, noting that a form will be used to document allowed face-covering exceptions.
Board member Rev. James Golden said, “You will wear a mask from the time you come into the jurisdiction of the Manatee County School Board until the time you leave, unless the teacher in that classroom exempts you for a medical reason or an IEP (Individualized Education Program).”
Saunders said students and staff will not be subjected to regular or random COVID-19 testing, but temperature checks will be conducted on all employees upon arrival and conducted randomly on students.
Golden asked Saunders to make photographs available to parents that show how classrooms are being set up to accommodate social distancing and other safety measures.
Learning options
Regardless of grade level, parents will decide whether their child or children attend school in person five days a week or continue full-time eLearningManatee at home. Hybrid programs that combine in-school and eLearning will be available for older students.
Submitted | School District of Manatee County
Saunders recommends all students pre-K through sixth grade return to in-person schooling five days a week. She recommends a hybrid program for seventh- and eighth-graders, and for all high school students and Manatee Technical College students.
Before the school year starts, the school district will confirm which learning method each student will utilize, and that data will be reported to DOE.
In response to a question from board chair Gina Messenger, Saunders said there will be designated opportunities when a student can switch from in-person learning to eLearning or vice-versa.
Saunders also said, “Our eLearning will not be just assignments being pushed on there. There will be actual teacher instruction. If a teacher is teaching 10 students in front of them and has 10 that are at home for eLearning they will be able to see the teacher teaching that lesson streaming live at the same time. They will be able to ask questions, get their questions answered and be a part of the class even though half of them may be sitting in their living room. We have the technology for that to happen.
“If a teacher doesn’t want to do it that way, we’ve given them a day in the week where they can record all of their lessons. If you’re on eLearning, there will be a live or taped teacher instruction. They will see the lesson taught by the teacher. It’s just as if they’re in the classroom. The teaching is going be occurring,” Saunders said.
In response to a question from board member Dr. Scott Hopes regarding eLearning, Saunders said the school district has already purchased many electronic devices to distribute to lower-income families in need, but there are still concerns about internet access at the student’s home.
“I do think we are going to have some problems with internet service, but we will have to come up with a plan for this,” Saunders said.
Extra-curricular activities
When the school year begins, extra-curricular activities including sports, band and cheerleading will be limited to outdoor, socially-distanced training activities only. Saunders said there are currently no plans for students to engage in competitive sporting events with other schools.
COVID concerns
During last week’s meeting, Saunders acknowledged the lingering concerns about the coronavirus.
“We can’t really say that it does not affect children. It is a new virus. Until we have schools open, I don’t really know that we have all the facts yet,” she said.
Saunders’ presentation included a slide that referenced COVID-19 test results for children in Manatee County and Florida.
“If you look at June 12th through now, and you compare our data and the number of cases compared to the state, in each one of these calculations we have exceeded the percent of infected cases per tested children than the state has. We’re at a 35.7% positive rate compared to 24.2% of those tested being positive for the state versus Manatee County. So our percentage is pretty substantial,” Saunders said.
Saunders’ reopening plan presentation can be viewed here.
More information on Manatee County school reopenings can be found here.
Related coverage
