Alabamians soon could have more information about COVID-19 cases in public schools according to the state’s top health official.
Dr. Scott Harris of the Alabama Department of Public Health wrote to AL.com in an email Tuesday morning that talks were underway about disclosing cases by school. “ADPH and ALSDE (Alabama State Department of Education) are in discussions currently about a way to accomplish this that will inform the public and still protect patient privacy.”
Harris did not provide a time frame.
Schools are required to report all suspected and positive COVID-19 cases to ADPH under current guidelines.
State Superintendent Eric Mackey confirmed the discussions are taking place but could not provide a time frame as to when the database might be available or what form it might take.
This comes as nearly all of Alabama's school districts are back in session and most of those are doing some form in-person learning with students. Positive COVID-19 cases have been reported sporadically in news reports as schools send children home to quarantine.
One school, Elkmont High School in Limestone County, had to close after opening for in-person learning due to the number of teachers and students either testing positive or in quarantine. The school remains closed through this week, according to news reports.
ADPH on Monday updated guidance on who needs to quarantine or isolate and for how long. The department is now using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s division of symptoms as “major” and “minor,” with major symptoms being a new cough, a new loss of taste or smell or a new bout of difficulty breathing.
Related: Alabama schools urged to watch for major coronavirus symptoms, not just runny noses
Students with major symptoms need to be sent home and those in “close contact”—within six feet for 15 minutes or more—also should be sent home.
"I think by stratifying those symptoms in terms of major and minor symptoms that'll make it somewhat easier for us to do," Harris said during a webinar Monday, "so that we don't end up with a situation where an entire classroom, or classrooms, gets sent home for someone with a single minor symptom."
Reporting positive COVID-19 cases in schools is not consistent among states. Texas education officials recently announced it will report cases publicly, joining Louisiana and North Carolina.
At least two Alabama school districts—Haleyville City and Huntsville City—are reporting cases publicly on their district websites, and others are reportedly sending emails and making telephone calls to let families and teachers know of positive COVID-19 cases in their schools.
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