Texas Education Agency announces new COVID-19 tracking system for public schools

A new tracking system will monitor and report confirmed COVID-19 cases in public schools statewide starting in September, according to a joint press statement from the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of State Health Services.

According to the Aug. 20 press release, school systems will be required to report COVID-19 cases to the DSHS, and this data, including cases and outbreaks on campuses, will be posted publicly. TEA officials are still finalizing details of the reporting process with the consideration of feedback from school districts.

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“Data on the number of cases in schools is of paramount interest to parents, students, teachers, staff, public health experts, policymakers and the larger community,” officials said in the statement. “This information will be submitted to DSHS any time there is a positive case in a campus community.”