Page 2 - Michael Drennon News Today

The Sarasota County School Board took steps on Tuesday toward assuring families that officials expect the next school year will be a return to normal and that they plan to allow several COVID-19-related policies to expire.  The School Board will allow a policy requiring students to wear masks for the majority of the day and to sit behind a tri-fold desk shield during a “mask break” to end on June 30. Next school year the district will no longer ask teachers to provide concurrent learning, ...

21 hours ago Share Following directives from the state, district leaders will consider a policy that would not make face masks mandatory for the new school year. Sarasota School Board members are considering letting the district’s face mask policy sunset June 30. Board members revisited the policy, which requires all students and staff to wear a face covering while on campus or in district vehicles, after Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran sent a letter to Florid...

Staff COVID-19 cases decrease in Sarasota, Manatee schools Both Sarasota County and Manatee County school districts recorded low numbers of employees testing positive for COVID-19 this week, as access to vaccinations expands.  Manatee Schools had no staff test positive for the week as of Friday morning, the first time that has happened this school year. In Sarasota County, seven staff members tested positive this week, the lowest number of positives since October.  That is a dramatic shift f...

Sarasota students won’t be cutting loose after school district approves senior prom, bans dancing Kimberly Kuizon reports SARASOTA, Fla. - For high school seniors in Sarasota County, prom will look and feel different.  For one thing, only seniors will be allowed. And just like the movie Footloose, no dancing will be permitted.  "I was really looking forward to my senior dance," lamented student Megan Duffy.  "I don’t think it would be as fun as it happened in the past," said Sarasota...

Is the pandemic virtually over for those who receive the coronavirus vaccine? No, according to Sarasota-Manatee medical experts.

After a record-breaking January for new coronavirus cases, February has brought a significant decline in new infections and hospitalizations in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The average daily number of new cases over the last week is less than half of what it was during the January peak, and the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the two county region is down by 43%. The positive trends likely are largely the result of less risky behavior after the holiday season.  But with vac...