Will Washington-area schools publicly report coronavirus cases? Many say no.

...This can make it hard to discover whether a school system has suffered an outbreak. When an employee in Montgomery County Public Schools’ central office recently tested positive for the virus, news of the case trickled out informally. Spokeswoman Gboyinde Onijala confirmed it Wednesday, saying she could not release more details due to medical confidentiality but anyone potentially exposed was notified and the superintendent and school board had been informed.

But there are a few bright spots: Loudoun County Public Schools in Northern Virginia, for example, sends schoolwide emails whenever a student or employee case emerges, as well as blasting an alert to local media outlets. The school system of 82,000 has followed this policy ever since campuses shut down in March, even though Loudoun students are pursuing remote learning this fall and do not physically set foot in school buildings...

...In fact, the U.S. Education Department published a letter specifically urging the disclosure of school cases back in March. “School notification is an effective method of informing parents and eligible students of an illness in the school,” the letter argues...

...employees who have returned to school grounds have tested positive: more than 60 between March and Sept. 10. Officials have closed eight school buildings and one maintenance depot for cleaning and sanitizing, according to Onijala, the spokeswoman for the school system...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/will-washington-area-schools-publicly-report-coronavirus-cases-many-say-no/2020/09/30/6275bd6a-031a-11eb-b7ed-141dd88560ea_story.html