Are MS schools required to report COVID-19 cases? Here’s what state health officials say.
State health officials have reiterated this week that Mississippi schools must report COVID-19 cases and outbreaks to the state health department.
Coast districts that were not included in this week’s list of COVID-19 cases at schools largely told the Sun Herald the lack of reporting was due to the short week or technical issues, and that they planned to report starting this week.
“It is a requirement for schools to report the number of cases and students on quarantine,” state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said at a meeting with Coast business leaders on Thursday that schools that don’t report COVID-19 cases, quarantines and outbreaks are breaking the law and lose legal liability protection. The department’s Aug. 14, 2020 order that schools report cases is still in effect.
“If you don’t follow our guidance, you are wide open for lawsuits,” he said.
Most districts that didn’t report last week did so because school was just getting started, he said. But last year, not everyone was compliant.
“We do have some trouble with some schools not wanting to behave,” he said. “There are one or two schools on the Coast which are notoriously difficult players. Y’all probably know who they are. I’m not going to call any names.”
Health department communications director Liz Sharlot declined to identify the schools.
“All I can add, is that we need all schools to submit weekly reports so that we can give accurate information to all Mississippians,” she wrote in an email. “Since the schools self-report, the accuracy is dependent on the school.”
Schools missing from COVID-19 report
This week’s report included no information from districts in Harrison County. It also did not include information from Ocean Springs and Moss Point school districts.
Sandy Commer-East, public relations director for Gulfport Schools, said the district planned to clarify reporting requirements at a meeting with the health department on Friday.
“We posted the numbers every week last year and when required to post we certainly will post once again,” she said.
In Biloxi, the lack of reporting was due to “an oversight,” said communications specialist Jennifer Pyron. The district didn’t realize they had the link to report cases, and plan to start reporting on Friday.
Officials at Long Beach, Ocean Springs and Pass Christian said they didn’t report last week because kids were in school for only a few days.
“This is the first full week of school in the Harrison County School District, and we will continue to follow Mississippi Department of Health guidelines regarding the reporting of COVID-19 data,” said Trang Pham-Bui, public relations specialist at Harrison County schools.
Moss Point did submit its cases to the health department, but not by the deadline for inclusion in this week’s report, said communications director Ja’Leasa Bolden. She shared numbers from Aug. 4-6 showing that 17 teachers and staff and 12 students had tested positive for COVID-19.
Since school started for most Coast kids last week, parents have traded information and rumors about COVID-19 cases, exposures, and classroom dismissals.
In community Facebook groups, posts asking if anyone has heard about cases or dismissals at a particular school are common. Parents trade pictures of notification letters and stories about calling schools for information about cases only to be told they’re not allowed to have that information.
In other districts, school administrators share detailed information about cases at each school.
Pass Christian Superintendent Dr. Carla Evers shared information about cases in her district on Facebook on Wednesday. There were 24 student cases and seven adult cases. One classroom at Pass Christian High School was sent home for virtual learning, she said.
