Texas adjusts incorrect data on COVID-19 in schools
COVID-19 School Safety
Date Posted: 9/28/2020 | Author: Mark Wiggins
The state has adjusted numbers on the dashboard managed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Department of State Health Services (DSHS) that tracks COVID-19 cases in public schools.
The adjustment was made after the state posted a spreadsheet containing district level COVID-19 case counts that did not add up to the same number of cases the dashboard was reporting statewide. This is not the first time the state has struggled when it comes to accurately reporting COVID-19 case data.
A message appearing on the dashboard over the weekend explained that "issues resulting from the integration of the school COVID case report data set with the school enrollment data set were identified in the school district data file," and that both agencies were working to post the correct district level numbers on Monday. These numbers should allow Texans to see how many COVID-19 cases each district is reporting.
According to the website, 275 student cases and 203 staff cases were not previously counted. With those cases included, the new statewide total indicates 3,750 students and 3,053 staff have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of August. Of those, the state reported 1,212 new student cases and 660 new staff cases added during the week ending September 20. ATPE reported on the dashboard stats in our Week in Review post last week with the previously reported numbers. You can see the dashboard with the updated case counts here.
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