As more Tucson-area schools begin allowing students back onto campuses, whether education officials alert families of coronavirus cases that may pop up is not always clear.
Local school districts are making different decisions on how broadly to inform their school community when someone tests positive for COVID-19.
Tucson’s largest district, Tucson Unified School District, with about 45,000 students, says it does not inform its school communities of all individual cases.
“TUSD does not publicly share singular cases that don’t result in a school closure because we believe in safeguarding the privacy of our employees and are sensitive to the disturbing trend of individuals and schools possibly being publicly stigmatized,” said spokeswoman Leslie Lenhart.
This video offers some pros and cons of online education, as many schools and universities have suspended in-person classes due to the spread of the coronavirus.
Some school districts are only informing people who spent 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of a person who tested positive, a threshold for contact tracing. Other Tucson school districts, such as Sunnyside, Amphitheater, Flowing Wells, Tanque Verde and Vail, inform everyone who’s been on a campus where someone tested positive.
When schools inform public-health officials of cases also varies.
Schools are only required to report to the health department when they have an outbreak. The Arizona Department of Health Services says an outbreak is defined as two or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 within a 14-day period among individuals who are epidemiologically linked, do not share a household and are not close contacts of each other in another setting.
The state leaving schools to decide when they have an official outbreak is essentially asking them to be health professionals, says Dr. Francisco Garcia, Pima County’s chief medical officer.
“The bad part about how that particular executive order is written is it puts the school in the position of having to be doctors,” he said. “Schools shouldn’t be in the position of having to be doctors. They aren’t staffed that way. They don’t have those kinds of resources.”
The county health department is asking districts and schools to tell them about every case so that the health professionals can take over contact tracing efforts and determine whether there’s an outbreak. And for the most part, public school districts are doing that. Not all charter and private schools have been so forthcoming.
While some cases are reported in district schools, charter schools that have had far more children in classrooms for weeks have been silent.
While the school districts and some charters and private schools have been collaborating with the local health department, other charters and private schools, such as Legacy Traditional and Casas Christian School have been nonexistent in that conversation, says Pima County Schools Superintendent Dustin Williams.
“We would really like to have more dialogue and more communication efforts and know what’s going on if we need to help,” he said. “Silence isn’t a strategy. And if it’s happening around our districts, well then it has to be happening in other schools, and we want to know how we can be a support system.”
The county’s decision on when to publicize cases is another barrier to the public seeing a complete picture on how the coronavirus pandemic is panning out in schools. The county will only make cases public if there’s an outbreak, according to spokesman Mark Evans.
As school districts are beginning to welcome thousands of students back into schools, the Arizona Daily Star will be working to track cases.
If you are part of a school community where students or staff have tested positive for COVID-19, email reporter Danyelle Khmara at dkhmara@tucson.com to help the Star track cases in Southern Arizona schools.
The Star will be continually updating the spreadsheet above with cases that can either be confirmed with a school, district or through an official communication.
Photos: Back-to-school in Tucson during the pandemic
"Mustang Stampede"
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Maddy Jacobs, 7, middle, reaches for her remote learning tool kit from her teacher, Kris Green, as her friend, Carly Kupinski, 6, watches during a "Mustang Stampede" at Manzanita Elementary School for the first day of school on August 17, 2020.
First Day of School, John B. Wright Elementary
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Augusta Iranzi, center, attends his teachers online class while monitors Jasmine Phillip, left, and Nadifo Yusuf, watch students inside a classroom at John B. Wright Elementary School, 4311 E. Linden St., in Tucson, Ariz. on August 17, 2020. About 10 students came to school for online instruction under the guidance of classroom monitors.
"Mustang Stampede"
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Lily Baser, 8, identifies herself for easy remote learning tool kit pickup during a "Mustang Stampede" at Manzanita Elementary School for the first day of school on August 17, 2020.
"Mustang Stampede"
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Krista Westmoreland, left, a third grade teacher, shows the remote learning tool kit of a student to Anna Ames, music teacher, during the "Mustang Stampede" at Manzanita Elementary School for the first day of school on August 17, 2020.
"Mustang Stampede"
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Maya Brown, 9, rides in style for her remote learning tool kit pickup during a "Mustang Stampede" at Manzanita Elementary School for the first day of school on August 17, 2020.
"Mustang Stampede"
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Multiage teachers Kris Green left, and April Pollow greet and cheer on their students during a "Mustang Stampede" at Manzanita Elementary School for the first day of school on August 17, 2020.
"Mustang Stampede"
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Maddy Jacobs, 7, left, waves to her teacher as she stands in the sunroof with her friend, Carly Kupinski, 6, during a "Mustang Stampede" to pickup their remote learning tool kit at Manzanita Elementary School for the first day of school on August 17, 2020.
"Mustang Stampede"
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For the first day of school teachers at Manzanita Elementary School greeted their students during a "Mustang Stampede" and handed out remote learning tool kits on August 17, 2020.
"Mustang Stampede"
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Kim Boling, principal at Manzanita Elementary School, greets her students and parents with a mustang during the "Mustang Stampede" for the first day of school on August 17, 2020.
First Day of School, John B. Wright Elementary
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Yarani Martinez gives a monitor a thumbs up to inform the monitor that his online class is working after classes began at John B. Wright Elementary School, 4311 E. Linden St., in Tucson, Ariz. on August 17, 2020. About 10 students came to school for online instruction under the guidance of classroom monitors.
First Day of School, John B. Wright Elementary
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Alice Flores, right, watches as her grandson Jesus Silva is escorted to the cafeteria before classes began at John B. Wright Elementary School, 4311 E. Linden St., in Tucson, Ariz. on August 17, 2020. About 10 students came to school for online instruction under the guidance of classroom monitors.
First Day of School, John B. Wright Elementary
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Augusta Iranzi follows the directions on the floor while being escorted to a classroom at John B. Wright Elementary School, 4311 E. Linden St., in Tucson, Ariz. on August 17, 2020. About 10 students came to school for online instruction under the guidance of classroom monitors.
