From The Tribune staff reports
HOOVER — Hoover City Schools announced in a letter to parents on Tuesday the launch of a new dashboard on the school website to share COVID-19 information with students, parents and the community.
The dashboard lists positive tests for students and faculty by date, as well as quarantine information.
“We have a new dashboard on the HCS website that will allow you to review COVID-19 data,” the letter stated. “In addition to county and state data, the dashboard presents information specific to HCS. The data will allow you to see positive COVID-19 cases for students and personnel, and it will allow you to review information on the number of quarantined (exposed) and isolated (symptomatic) students and personnel.”
To date, 25 staff members and 59 students have tested positive for COVID-19. The high mark came on Sept. 15 when 14 students tested positive.
The letter stated that numbers represented in the dashboard indicate data as reported by parents, students, and personnel – whether in the virtual, blended, or in-person learning options.
Thirty-five students are in Positive Isolation, 45 students are in Suspected Positive Isolation, 135 students are in Close Contact Quarantine. A total of 215 students out of an enrollment of 13,445 are in Covid related isolation or quarantine.
The launch comes one day after Trussville City Schools Superintendent Pattie Neill and board president Kathy Brown cited HIPAA rules and potential violations among reasons for TCS not releasing COVID-19 data. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HIPAA rules do not apply to most schools and school districts.
