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Under legal pressure, Florida releases names of schools with COVID-19 cases

The report released Tuesday shows a limited picture of the number of COVID-19 cases tied to schools because it only includes data stretching between Sept. 6 and Sept. 26.
 
Logan Ward, 17, left, plays tuba while color guard member Andria Medina, 16, right, spins a flag while joining the Clearwater High School marching band during a band camp session on Monday, July 27, 2020 at the school's parking lot in Clearwater, under the direction of Michael Sopko, director of bands and instrumental activities at the school in Clearwater. Sopko said the band is allowed to meet as long as they adhere to Pinellas County School's phase 2 guidelines, which limits the time of practices to 90 minutes in an outdoor location, with social distancing and masks required.
Logan Ward, 17, left, plays tuba while color guard member Andria Medina, 16, right, spins a flag while joining the Clearwater High School marching band during a band camp session on Monday, July 27, 2020 at the school's parking lot in Clearwater, under the direction of Michael Sopko, director of bands and instrumental activities at the school in Clearwater. Sopko said the band is allowed to meet as long as they adhere to Pinellas County School's phase 2 guidelines, which limits the time of practices to 90 minutes in an outdoor location, with social distancing and masks required. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Tampa Bay Times ]
Published Sept. 30, 2020|Updated Sept. 30, 2020

A month after Florida schools reopened amid the coronavirus pandemic, state officials revealed for the first time on Tuesday evening a state report that details school-related COVID-19 data.

The school-specific data was released by the Florida Department of Health after a coalition of news organizations threatened to sue Gov. Ron DeSantis for violating the state public records law.

DeSantis' administration refused to release the information after numerous requests over a month-long span. State health officials shared the data with local school officials but told them they considered the information confidential.

The report released Tuesday shows a limited picture of the number of COVID-19 cases tied to schools because it only includes data stretching between Sept. 6 and Sept. 26. Many schools began reopening in August, and the list is also missing some schools.

But a glimpse into the data shows a total of 4,689 COVID-19 cases have been tied to Florida’s K-12 and post-secondary schools stretching back to Sept. 6.

In Pinellas County, the vast majority of COVID-19 cases were tied to K-12 schools.

The state report shows 110 cases tied to private and public schools, and nine COVID-19 cases at post-secondary schools in the county. Oldsmar Elementary School, which reported 13 positive cases among students, had the highest number of cases among schools in the county.

In Hillsborough County, the state reported 198 cases in K-12 schools and 290 cases in post-secondary schools. The University of South Florida, for example, reported 38 positive cases on campus over the 20-day period. By comparison, the University of Tampa reported 14 positive cases in that same time period.

Most public and private schools in Hillsborough County reported few COVID-19 cases, most of them reporting a single positive case. Newsome High School in Lithia was the school with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the county, with 10 positive cases.

Meanwhile, Pasco County reported 121 positive cases at K-12 schools and 27 positive cases linked to post-secondary schools. Three schools in Land O’Lakes were the schools with the highest number of cases in the county: Pine View Middle School, with 7 positive cases; Sunlake High School, with 7 cases; and Land O’Lakes High School, with 6 positive cases.

In Manatee County, there were 46 K-12 cases and three post-secondary cases, with Manatee High School in Bradenton leading with five cases.

Hours before the report was released Tuesday, DeSantis told reporters that he did not know if the state had a report to release on school-specific data.

But in mid-September, the Republican governor suggested the release of the report was delayed because Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and Surgeon General Scott Rivkees were working on presenting the report in a “digestible format.”

DeSantis had previously indicated that he wanted the report to include context about the number of cases among students who were asymptomatic. The report released Tuesday includes that breakdown.

On Tuesday, the governor said he wanted the data released for one reason: good news.

“I want to get it out because you know why? The story is a good story to tell,” he said.