DALLAS - Texas will soon begin releasing information on coronavirus infections involving students and staff in an effort to trace outbreaks in public schools.
School districts will be required to report confirmed cases to the Texas Department of State Health Services. That agency will begin tracing contacts and report the numbers.
“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, the DSHS and Texas Education Agency said in a joint statement.
The TEA said it will be working with superintendents on the reporting process over the next few days.
“Having this knowledge and being able to publicly share the accumulated case totals from schools in a single place covering the entire state of Texas will help us to further support the health and safety of all Texans,” the TEA and DSHS said.
Case numbers will be made public starting in September.