Several school districts in the Denver metro area have begun publicly reporting COVID-19 case data online.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment does not require schools to publicly disclose positive cases, and the health agency only does so when a facility is the site of a coronavirus outbreak. Most districts did not have a central location for the information when the semester started, which is why The Denver Post started a running list of school-related cases that relies on tips from the community that we then verify with district personnel.
The dashboards being introduced by school districts vary in terms of the information included. For example, many only show active cases within the district and do not include all historical data. Jeffco Public Schools is the only district on the list that does not display how many people are in quarantine.
“The quarantines are extremely complicated, constantly moving targets that often overlap each other and sometimes change — it is a significant amount of work to track them,” said spokeswoman Cameron Bell. “And we have seen inaccurate reporting of these details early on leading to a lot more confusion in our communities.”
Bookmark these links if you’re keeping an eye on a specific school district.
Adams 12 Five Star Schools COVID-19 dashboard
What it displays: A summary of active cases within the district organized by school and grades affected, the number of students and adults in quarantine, the quarantine period, and date students and staff may return to school. As quarantines are resolved, cases drop off the list.
Aurora Public Schools COVID-19 dashboard
What it displays: A summary of active cases within the district by school, the number of students and staff exposed, when quarantined students and staff may return to school, and if a facility where a case is detected has closed partially or entirely.
Cherry Creek School District COVID-19 dashboard
What it displays: A summary of active COVID-19 cases within the district wholistically, the number of students and staff in quarantine, the number of students and staff currently in remote learning, and links to every COVID-related notification sent out to families.
Douglas County School District COVID-19 dashboard
What it displays: Metrics used by the district to decide which format of learning is most suitable given local COVID-19 circumstances. Under the “dashboard ratings” section, users can find weekly reports that include the number of students and employees who have tested positive and who are isolated or in quarantine.
Jeffco Public Schools COVID-19 dashboard
What it displays: An interactive chart of new cases by day that dates back to the beginning of the semester. Users can filter the data by a specific school or academic level. The dashboard also includes dates when quarantined individuals may return to school, though it doesn’t say how many were placed in quarantine due to a positive case.
Denver Public Schools, which only recently began welcoming students back for in-person learning, plans to launch its own dashboard, but it’s still in the works, said spokeswoman Winna Maclaren.
