Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath informed public school district superintendents that the state will release statistics on COVID-19 cases among staff and students.  What exactly that information will consist of and how it will be broken up is still uncertain.

This comes right as school has officially started for El Paso area students but before many of them are given the option or are required to physically attend at their campuses.  As of now, coronavirus cases at public schools will need to be reported to the State within 24 hours of its confirmation.  These numbers will then be followed by TEA and Department of State Health Services so information can be disseminated.

Other districts in Texas that have allowed for in person instruction have already had confirmed COVID-19 cases and the thinking behind gathering and releasing this data is to make sure everybody from students, their families, and district staff members are informed of what exactly the situation is for their school.  Prior to this announcement, the amount of detail provided on confirmed cases has varied from district to district and this latest requirement will hopefully allow for El Paso families to make informed decisions as to how to best ensure their children’s well-being.  Considering we live in an area with numerous districts, this may prove to be especially helpful for families that have children attending school at different ISD’s.

One more thing to note is that while data has shown that children are less likely than adults to suffer severe symptoms, they can still get sick enough to require admittance into ICU.  The more information available to help parents make safety and education related decisions, the better.

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