During Tuesday’s Muskingum County COVID-19 monthly broadcast, clarification on the reporting of infected students and their respective schools was discussed.

Dr. Jack Butterfield, Medical Director of the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department and Safety Director for the Muskingum County Unified Command, spoke at length on the state’s order to release data in regard to infected individuals at schools throughout Ohio.

Butterfield explained that due to Governor Mike DeWine’s mandate about the release of information pertaining to infected students, teachers and staff the health department is required to release the identity of schools where an infected person attended.

He went on to say his intention is to be as transparent as possible while at the same time protecting the private health information of people involved.

“The community is entitled to know what’s going on in the schools,” Butterfield continued.

Earlier this month Lance Himes, Interim Director of Health for the State of Ohio, released a multipart director’s order which required public notification of COVID-19 cases in Ohio’s kindergarten through twelfth-grade schools.

That order in part requires “timely contact tracing” to prevent further transmission and the establishment or use of a reporting system to notify parents of a positive test and/or case.

School districts are also required to establish a COVID-19 coordinator to facilitate reporting of case information.

That person’s contact is also required to be shared with the local health department along with the district’s reopening or pandemic operating plan, should it be requested.

Within 24 hours of becoming aware of a student, teacher, staff member or coach who has tested positive or been diagnosed with COVID-19 the school is required to notify parents or guardians in writing.

As part of the plan, school districts are encouraged to use their website to provide an information dashboard of the number of individuals infected and at what buildings, that public data should then be shared or made accessible to the local media.

Beginning September 15 the order then also directs the local health departments to submit a report of the number of newly reported and cumulative positive tests or diagnosed COVID-19 cases at either the school building or school district level for the previous reporting week to the Ohio Department of Health.