CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There are now a number of options for parents, teachers and students to track COVID-19 results in their schools. However, the websites could cause possible confusion to the world of education which has already been turned upside down.
Union President Dr. Nancy Vera believes the site will help to get more information into the hands of the community.
"So one of the things this tracker is going to do is going to make comparison with what the district is reporting to the Texas Education Agency, as opposed to what teachers and other educational staff are reporting," Dr. Vera said.
But how accurate will Texas AFT's information be? This site does allow for a COVID-19 case to be reported and for safety reports to be written out. It also allows for anyone to submit a report.
The Texas AFT wesbite states:
“This is an online open content tool designed to help workers share information with each other about health and safety issues in their workplace. The information may contain errors or inaccuracies. Texas American Federation of Teachers (Texas AFT) does not independently verify information provided and therefore cannot guarantee its accuracy or completeness. Links to third-party websites are provided to facilitate the sharing of potentially relevant information. Texas AFT does not guarantee their accuracy and is not responsible for their content. For more information on our privacy policy, please see our privacy policy.”
If you're a parent checking this site, here's what you need to know:
Texas AFT's COVID-19 Tracking Site
- No one is checking the information submitted in the reports for accuracy
- There is no system to verify a person submitting a report actually works for the school
- Positive cases posted to the site have not been confirmed by a Public Health Agency
"I agree, I have some concerns about it that's why I haven't made a big deal of it locally," Dr. Vera said. "I still think there's lots of things that need to be worked out with that tool."
The AFT is not the only source of information. Over the coming weeks, the TEA will be working with our State Health and Human Services Department on a website that will compile all of the COVID-19 cases from school districts across the state.
If you're a parent with children in CCISD, you can check a site tailored just to your school here. Leanne Libby with CCISD said the district's website that's tracking COVID-19 numbers can be found there.
Libby said this reporting tool is similar to ones being used by other school districts around the state. CCISD's COVID-19 Tracker is showing cases confirmed on campus and off-campus. This system is not without its issues, as well.
While the district does have a plan, the CCISD website does not disclose this:
- If or when the people who tested positive were on campus
- The actions the district is taking in reaction to these cases
- When the person tested positive
It's best to make sure your contact information is up to date with the district. CCISD said they will also send out a letter to parents to let them know about a positive test result reported on their child's campus.
