Tennessee Department of Education launches dashboard reporting COVID-19 information in schools, districts

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Wednesday, the Tennessee Department of Education released a dashboard reporting additional COVID-19 information at school and district levels.

The department is requesting districts submit information on a weekly basis to report positive COVID-19 cases in districts and schools, as well as whether or how positive cases may impact the way teachers deliver instruction to students.

So far, 516 new cases have been reported among students and 243 new cases have been reported among staff.

Full reporting across every district is expected by Sept. 22.

The dashboard will provide district-reported information on the number of new positive COVID-19 cases this week and the prior week among students and staff. It will display the primary operating model for schools within the district, including the number of schools conducting in-person learning, remote learning, and schools utilizing a hybrid approach for instruction, as well as the last date when the district updated its primary operating model. Additonally, the dashboard will display whether the district has adopted a critical infrastructure designation for certain workers, as well as a link to the district’s Continuous Learning Plan (CLP) which outlines how the district plans to administer remote learning.

The dashboard will provide district-reported information on the number of new positive COVID-19 cases among students, staff, and whether adjustments from the district’s primary operating model have been made within the school. Students and staff listed as positive does not necessarily indicate they contracted COVID-19 at the school building.

The sharing of student information is protected under the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). To ensure protections of individual privacy, schools with fewer than 50 students will not be reported in the dashboard. For schools reporting under five positive student or employee COVID-19 cases, the school will be listed without a specific number of cases for the category.

To view the dashboard, click here.

For access to additional resources related to reopening schools, click here.

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