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Tag: School District of Manatee County

First COVID-19 case reported at Anna Maria Elementary

First COVID-19 case reported at Anna Maria Elementary

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – One Anna Maria Elementary (AME) School student has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the School District of Manatee County’s Nov. 2 COVID update.

It is the first COVID-positive case reported at the elementary school in Holmes Beach, according to the school district’s online COVID-19 dashboard.

First COVID-19 case reported at Anna Maria Elementary
This graphic at the school district website confirms the positive COVID-19 test. – School District of Manatee County | Submitted

When contacted Friday, AME Principal Jackie Featherston confirmed the positive test and provided some additional details.

“We did have four students and a teacher that will need to quarantine as a precaution because they happened to have a little closer contact with this student,” Featherston said.

Featherston was asked if the COVID-positive student’s classroom remains in use.

“We relocated the classroom before the kids even got in the room yesterday morning. We relocated the classroom to the auditorium. Our custodial staff went in and thoroughly cleaned and sanitized the classroom before the remainder of the students could return there and we’ll have a substitute for the teacher for the next couple weeks,” Featherston said.

Featherston said the positive COVID test was reported on Thursday.

“All of this occurred yesterday. The families of the individual students that had to quarantine were notified yesterday. They got a letter from the health department and instructions. Yesterday evening, a message went out to all our families in the entire school, to let them know that we did have a COVID-positive case,” Featherston said.

In regard to this being AME’s first known COVID case, Featherston said, “It happens. You can’t control what exposure others might have on the outside. We know it wasn’t something that occurred at school. They had another family member that started feeling sick and got tested. Mom did the right thing and she didn’t take any chances. She took her children to get tested and one that happens to be one of our students ended up testing positive even though she didn’t have any symptoms or anything. They did everything they were supposed to do. It’s just one of those things that happen sometimes,” Featherston said.

When contacted Friday, Michael Barber, the school district’s communications, family and community engagement director, said, “We have been in school 12 weeks and this is the school’s first case. I think that says a lot about the safety protocols being practiced at the school and how the Anna Maria Island community is taking the safety measures seriously.”

According to the school district’s COVID-19 dashboard, six new positive cases had been reported districtwide as of Thursday, Nov. 5, with 208 positive cases reported among students and staff districtwide since the school year began on Aug. 17.

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84 COVID-19 cases reported on Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Elementary leads county in brick and mortar learning option selections

AME leads county in choosing on-site learning

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Schools.

HOLMES BEACH – Eighty-two percent of Anna Maria Elementary school students plan to attend school using the in-person, brick-and-mortar learning option if the new school year begins on Monday, Aug. 17 as planned.

That is the highest percentage in Manatee County, according to the school district. Countywide, the average for all 32 elementary schools combined is 69% for those who selected the brick-and-mortar learning option.

Just 18% of AME students will use the at-home, online eLearning option, the District reported, and none opted for the hybrid learning option – a combination of in-school and at-home learning.

At 80%, Ballard Elementary has the second-highest percentage of students who selected the brick-and-mortar method. At 57%, Daughtrey Elementary has the lowest.

At 38%, Daughtrey has the highest percentage of students who selected the eLearning option. At 18%, Anna Maria Elementary and Manatee Elementary have the lowest. Countywide, 27% of elementary students selected eLearning.

Braden River Elementary and Gullett Elementary have the highest percentage of students who selected the hybrid option – 18%.

Anna Maria Elementary is the only school that reported no students selecting the hybrid option.

“All three options, including hybrid, were offered to our parents. I spoke with three or four parents that inquired about the hybrid option but chose to do eLearning or return to brick-and-mortar instead,” Anna Maria Elementary Principal Jackie Featherston said via email.

The next lowest elementary schools in terms of hybrid option selections are Samoset Elementary, Ballard Elementary and Tillman Elementary at 1%. Countywide, 4% of elementary students selected the hybrid option.

Anna Maria Elementary leads county in brick and mortar learning selections
This chart illustrates the elementary school learning option selections made countywide. – School District of Manatee County | Submitted

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School district releases learning option selections 

School district releases learning option selections

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Manatee County.

UPDATED July 26, 2020 – MANATEE COUNTY – The School District of Manatee County has determined the percentages of middle school and high school students who intend to begin the school year using in-person brick-and-mortar learning, at-home online eLearning, or a hybrid of both.

Parents were given until Thursday, July 23 to inform their children’s school which learning method their child or children would use to begin the school year in 10 middle schools and eight high schools in Manatee County.

The middle schools are Braden River Middle School, Buffalo Creek Middle School, Haile Middle School, Johnson Middle School, King Middle School, Lee Middle School, Lincoln Middle School, Mona Jain Middle School and Sugg Middle School.

The high schools are Bayshore High School, Braden River High School, Lakewood Ranch High School, Manatee High School, Parrish Community High School, Palmetto High School, Southeast High School and Horizons.

As of Friday afternoon, data regarding selections made by elementary school students and their parents was not yet available.

Manatee County School District releases learning option selections
On Friday, the School District of Manatee County provided The Sun with this learning option selection data. – School District of Manatee County | Submitted

Middle school selections

As of Friday, 46.2% percent of the responding middle school students and their parents chose to start the school year as currently proposed on Monday, Aug. 17 with in-person, brick-and-mortar learning five days a week inside a school building.

On average, 27% of these middle school students and their parents selected at-home eLearning and 26.8% selected the hybrid option that includes a weekly mix of both in-school and at-home learning.

At 60%, Lincoln Middle School has the highest percentage of brick-and-mortar students among middle schools, followed by Johnson Middle School at 57%. At 38%, Nolan Middle School has the lowest percentage of brick-and-mortar students, followed by Mona Jain Middle School at 40%.

At 34%, Johnson Middle School has the highest percentage of eLearning students, followed by Braden River Middle School and Lee Middle School at 30%. At 19%, King Middle School has the lowest percentage of eLearning students, followed by Nolan Middle School at 22%.

At 40%, Nolan Middle School has the highest percentage of hybrid students, followed by King Middle School at 37%. At 9%, Johnson Middle School has the lowest percentage of hybrid students, followed by Lincoln Middle School at 13%.

High school selections

On average, 29% of high school students and their parents chose in-person, brick-and-mortar learning. Slightly more than 22% selected at-home eLearning and approximately 49% selected the hybrid learning model.

At 48%, Parrish Community High School has the highest percentage of brick-and-mortar high school students, followed by Lakewood Ranch High School and Manatee High School at 35%. At 13%, Southeast High School has the lowest percentage of brick-and-mortar students, followed by Horizons at 15%.

At 25%, Palmetto High School has the highest percentage of eLearning students, followed by Parrish Community High School at 24%. At 19%, Horizons has the lowest percentage of eLearning students, followed by Lakewood Ranch High School at 20%.

At 66%, Horizons has the highest percentage of hybrid students, followed by Southeast High School at 65%.

At 28%, Parrish Community High School has the lowest percentage of hybrid students, followed by Manatee High School at 42%.

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AME leads county in choosing on-site learning

School Board to discuss reopening today

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – The Manatee County School Board will continue discussing its school reopening plan today.

The discussion will take place during the school board workshop that begins at 1 p.m. The school reopening plan discussion is the fourth and final item listed on Thursday’s meeting agenda:

According to the school board website, “Executive Summary Superintendent Cynthia Saunders presented plans for the reopening of schools for the 2020-2021 school year during a workshop held on June 25. The board will hold discussion regarding the finalization of the plan in preparation for approval of the plan at the July 14 special meeting.”

Manatee County School Board will discuss school reopening plan on Thursday
The Manatee County School Board will meet at 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 9. – School District of Manatee County | Submitted

The school district’s reopening plan can be viewed here.

You can livestream Thursday’s meeting here:

School board meetings are broadcast live on both MSTV and METV for your convenience. MSTV is Brighthouse channel 646 and Verizon channel 39; METV is Brighthouse channel 645, Verizon channel 31 and Comcast channel 19.

Thursday’s meeting will be archived within 24-48 hours here.

If you wish to contact the board members, you can do so via email, via phone at 941-708-8770 ext. 2155 or via fax at 941-708-8653.

On Tuesday, Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran issued 2020-Emergency Order-06 regarding the mandatory reopening of Florida schools: