On September 8, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new COVID-19 “Report Card, an online dashboard for New York school districts to record and publicize up-to-date information on positive cases and testing protocols.
Per Cuomo’s Executive Order, the dashboard will be updated daily and will provide the day and time at which new information is published.
The dashboard includes information on positive cases by date for students and staff, the number of students and staff who are on-site, the percentage of on-site positive cases and the number of tests given by the school. It will also provide the type of test, the lab which conducted the test and how long their results take. The online dashboard will also show seven-day trend charts to give the community – especially students, parents and educators – an idea of COVID-19 trends in their district.
During a press conference on September 8, Gov. Cuomo explained that parents and teachers are nervous and confused due to consistent changes in reopening plans.
“They’re confused and they are anxious, why? Because that is their child, that’s why,” Cuomo said. “They want to make sure their child doesn’t get sick. As a parent your first instinct is to protect your child. ‘“Can you take all of those tests and do they come back? Are they right? When they come back are you actually following up and doing something?’” That is what parents and teachers want to know, and they’re right.”
The goal of the dashboard is to locate outbreaks of the coronavirus in order to halt its spread and keep schools open. The COVID-19 Report Card was created so every district and every school in New York State has their COVID-19 information in one place.
Once reopening is under way, and districts begin to report information to the New York State Department of Health, students, parents and faculty can access the COVID-19 Report Card at https://schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov/. To find specific information on their district, visitors can type their home address to find their school district, choose their respective school and find a breakdown of all positive cases, testing and results based on the school’s enrollment in the 2020-21 school year.
“Facts empower people to make informed decisions for the health and safety of themselves and their families,” Cuomo said. “The COVID-19 Report Card will give parents, faculty and students the most up-to-date information on the status of their school and their school district’s testing results. I urge our school communities to stay vigilant and be smart.”
