By 1812Blockhouse
The Ohio Department of Health has launched a new tool to help parents, students, and staff assess conditions in the state’s schools related to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The new report reflects both new and also cumulative cases reported to schools by parents/guardians and staff. Schools are then required to report those cases to their assigned local health department which, in turns, reports the same to the Ohio Department of Health.
According to the Department of Health, “A report of COVID-19 should not be interpreted as an indicator that a school district or school isn’t following proper procedures—school cases can be a reflection of the overall situation in the broader community. Families and staff should always feel free to ask questions of the school district or school.”
The new dashboard has a set of definitions to interpret results. “Cumulative” means the current week and all previous reporting weeks.
According to the site, current Richland County schools with reported COVID-19 cases include:
- Clear Fork Valley Local — 1 staff (cumulative)
- Lexington Local — 1 student (cumulative)
- Mansfield City — 1 student (cumulative)
- Ontario Local — 2 staff (cumulative)
Of the counties contiguous to Richland, only Knox County had reported cases. Mount Vernon City School reported 1 new student case and 1 cumulative student case.
To access the dashboard, click on the “Schools and Children” tab in the regular COVID-19 Ohio Dashboard, accessible via the Ohio Department of Health’s main Coronavirus site, the on “Schools.”
Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay
