School resumes in Sarasota and Manatee in midst of omicron surge

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Teachers in the Sarasota County School District returned to the classroom on Monday after being off since Dec. 23, and students are set to return on Tuesday.

The resumption of classes coincides with Florida remaining a hotspot for new cases of the coronavirus, with a 40% increase in the week ending Sunday, as 423,150 cases were reported. The number of cases increased in 49 of 50 states last week as the virus is proving more resistant to vaccinations than previous strains.

The School District of Manatee County resumed classes last Thursday. District spokesman Mike Barber said that on Thursday and Friday, a combined 206 students and staff were out with COVID, compared to just five students and staff reporting positive in the final days before Winter Break in December.

More: Omicron variant is spiking in Florida. This free tool compares the spread of COVID-19 in your area

Previously: DOH sets up COVID testing sites for students, school staff in Sarasota

Subscribers: As omicron surges, what's in store for Sarasota-Manatee tourism?

The Venice Indians get a send off from students at Venice Elementary School before the team leaves for Saturday's Class 8A state football final vs. Apopka in December. MATT HOUSTON/HERALD-TRIBUNE
The Venice Indians get a send off from students at Venice Elementary School before the team leaves for Saturday's Class 8A state football final vs. Apopka in December. MATT HOUSTON/HERALD-TRIBUNE

On Jan. 7, Sarasota had the highest number of cases reported in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic, with 5,015 daily confirmed cases. The previous high was 3,371 new cases on Aug. 27, 2021.

Nevertheless, with mandates barred by state law, masking will be optional, a point underscored by a message the Sarasota district sent to families last Friday.

But the district also noted in its email that federal and state health guidelines recommend that "universal indoor masking is advised for all students (ages 2 years and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status."

Sarasota County Schools also said that social distancing will be implemented "whenever possible." In addition, common work areas, equipment and personal workspaces will be regularly cleaned and sanitized.

Last school year the weeks following Winter Break brought a major increase in COVID-19 cases in Sarasota schools. When Winter Break began on Dec. 18, 2020, the district had logged 608 cases since school resumed at the end of August. By the end of January, the district had nearly matched that, with 568 new cases in just three weeks of school.

Mask mandate: "No possible way to have it done"

While some Sarasota School Board members would like to see a mask mandate reinstated, even those who are the strongest advocates for mandatory masking say that it is not an option.

The board had a mask mandate in place for the entire 2020-21 school year. The start of this school year coincided with a spike in COVID cases due to the delta variant, and one week into the year the board voted to reinstate the mask mandate.

The decision was politically fraught, and even Superintendent Brennan Asplen had objected to the board’s decision, telling board members the new policy was out of line with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning mask mandates and could be impossible to enforce.

Now, the School Board is not likely to try to impose a mandate again.

School Board attorney Dan DeLeo said he had not been asked by any board members to explore the possibility of re-imposing a mask mandate, but he did not think it was legally possible.

DeSantis' executive order forbidding mask mandates last summer was subject to legal challenges when the board voted to impose its mandate in August. A judge upheld DeSantis' order in a November ruling.

Lawmakers incorporated DeSantis' mandate into law during a special legislative session in November.

“There isn’t any effective way that I’m aware of for a School Board to do that (require masks) if they wanted to,” DeLeo said. “That possibility has been effectively foreclosed by the governor and legislature.”

Board member Tom Edwards, who was part of the three-member majority voting to require masks in August, said he did not see any appetite for reigniting the fight.

“It’s a form of mitigation, and that would be awesome, but there is no possible way to have it done,” Edwards said.

The group Protect Our Public Schools Manasota issued a statement on Sunday, calling for the Sarasota School Board to "go completely remote for several weeks until the worst of this is over," although the group says "we know you are not likely to do that due to political pressure."

Board member Karen Rose has opposed mandates, but she said she is "absolutely" hoping people students and staff still practice reasonable safety measures.

"Just because you can’t mandate (masks) doesn’t mean you can't encourage them," she said.

Mitigation efforts in place

Last week, Sarasota issued some updated COVID-19 protocols as students and staff return:

  • The district is partnering with the Department of Health to offer PCR testing for symptomatic staff or students for all public, private and charter schools in Sarasota.

  • Students and staff who have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 do not have to quarantine as long as they remain asymptomatic. People who do go into quarantine can return after the eighth day from exposure.

  • The district is encouraging families who can to drive their child to school so that buses are not as packed.

The School District of Manatee County updated some of their policies as well:

  • The district is offering free testing to SDMC students and staff at John H. Marble Park in Bradenton, and at school-based health centers at Manatee Elementary School and Southeast High School.

  • Students and staff in Manatee who are exposed to the virus do not need to quarantine as long as they remain asymptomatic. If they do choose to isolate, they may return once five days have passed since exposure, which is in line with Centers for Disease Control guidance.

  • If someone tests positive, they can return once five days have passed, as long as they are asymptomatic.

Ryan McKinnon covers schools for the Herald-Tribune. Connect with him at ryan.mckinnon@heraldtribune.com or on Twitter: @JRMcKinnon. Support the Sarasota Herald-Tribune by subscribing today.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota, Manatee schools resume as COVID surges