Lack of Federal Tracking for School Outbreaks is Problematic

Remember back in the summer, when the major question was whether schools would reopen? There were so many uncertainties: When? How? Who would attend? Some teachers and parents, along with public health experts, feared classrooms might become hotspots for spreading the virus. Meanwhile, government officials were adamantly pushing for schools to “OPEN!” — a sentiment often expressed in ALL CAPS, as if that made it more valid.

Eventually, it became evident that schools would reopen, and as both a teacher and a parent, I was faced with tough choices. Should I return to the classroom? Should I send my kids back? Despite my desire for some normalcy, I opted to wait. Early indications suggested that COVID-19 was less transmissible among younger children, but the data on infection rates in schools was scarce. I figured by fall, we would have more concrete information to help guide my decision.

So what’s the outcome? Are kids contracting the virus at school? Did reopening lead to widespread outbreaks? The unfortunate truth is we still don’t have clear answers because there is no federal system for tracking COVID cases in schools.

I receive weekly updates from both my kids’ schools and my own, detailing the number of new cases (usually about two or three each week). Others in different areas receive similar updates. However, there’s no comprehensive national database compiling this information. Without a thorough analysis, we cannot draw evidence-based conclusions about the safety of keeping schools open during a pandemic.

Since September, coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged, recently surpassing 100,000 new daily cases. One might hastily conclude that schools are to blame for these outbreaks. Yet, numerous other sectors have reopened too: offices, bars, restaurants. It’s crucial to determine where the virus is actually spreading. The only way we can make informed decisions as individuals and communities is through specific data.

There are reports of COVID-related deaths linked to schools: a few teachers, an eighth grader, a kindergartner, etc. But does this change our initial assumption that student-to-student transmission is relatively rare? How rare is it? Is it 1 percent? 5 percent? Without concrete data, these examples remain anecdotal and lack context.

In the absence of a federal tracking system, some researchers have taken it upon themselves to monitor COVID cases in schools across the nation. While this is commendable, they face significant limitations in data access. Some school districts make their numbers public, while others opt to share them only within their communities due to privacy concerns. While privacy is important, this approach hinders our ability to evaluate nationwide trends. We are left piecing together information from our local communities and media reports, attempting to draw our conclusions without solid data.

The government is uniquely positioned to collect and analyze this information. If school districts are hesitant to disclose their COVID numbers publicly, they should still report them to local Departments of Health. Unlike private entities, the federal government can gather this data for public health experts to analyze. Failing to do so is a dereliction of duty.

Schools across the country have implemented varying safety measures. Some enforce strict masking policies, while others are more lenient. Some are taking social distancing seriously, reducing class sizes, and altering hallway traffic patterns, while others have mostly returned to pre-pandemic norms. It’s unfortunate that we lack standardized national safety protocols to mitigate the virus’s spread, but at the very least, we should be tracking this data to evaluate the effectiveness of these measures.

Which districts have experienced the most outbreaks? What common characteristics do those schools share? What mask policies are in place? How are students arranged during lunch? Are there significant factors we haven’t even considered? Once again, without data collection, these questions remain unanswered.

Moreover, there is inconsistency in testing and contact tracing protocols from state to state. While the federal government cannot mandate state actions, it can set national standards and encourage compliance. In some areas, when a family member falls ill, the illness can be traced back to exposure at school. Since children often show no symptoms, they may unknowingly pass the virus to family members. If the federal government were to track and trace these instances, we would gain a clearer understanding of what is happening in schools and communities.

My kids have been learning remotely since September, and soon I’ll need to decide whether they’ll return to school in January or continue at home. With U.S. cases rising, keeping them home feels like the obvious choice. However, if we had a semester’s worth of national data indicating which mitigation measures were working or the exact transmission rates in schools, it would empower me to make a more informed decision.

I am hopeful that the incoming administration will prioritize collecting and disseminating data that parents and citizens need to make informed choices. The public is ready for change, but as far as tracking COVID outbreaks in schools goes, the current government has already fallen short.

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Summary

The lack of a federal tracking system for COVID-19 outbreaks in schools is a significant oversight. While local updates are available, there is no comprehensive national data that would help parents and communities understand the safety of school reopenings. This lack of information hinders informed decision-making regarding the health and safety of children during the pandemic.