Miami-Dade parents need to know if COVID mitigation protocols in schools are working | Opinion

It is now Week 4 in the 2021-2022 school year in Miami-Dade County. Parents have received communication on topics including: COVID protocols, the connections newsletter, Project UP-START for children and youth living in transition, the Educational Excellence School Advisory Council, discounted sports school physicals, COVID vaccination schedules and sites — even a Look, Listen and Live campaign about train track safety.

This information is important, helpful and appreciated. What’s severely lacking, though, is an update on the current status of COVID cases and mitigation protocols for classrooms.

Last year, it took approximately a week for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools dashboard to show new cases. This year, the dashboard numbers are being reported very differently. Under student case totals for 2021-2022, the dashboard says there were 52 for the first week and 110 for the second week. Then in a matter of days between the 3rd and 4th weeks of classes, 700 additional student cases were added.

COVID in schools

We do not know when these cases occurred because the dashboard reflects the date the Department of Health confirms them, rather than the testing date. Is this an increase compared to previous weeks or a downward trend after the initial school opening? We have no idea, and that’s the problem.

There also appears to be a significant amount of missing data. While the data is not intended as a real-time measure of cases, the delay appears to be greater than last year. My daughter’s class had a positive case reported and students who met the criteria for exposure were quarantined. But a day before they were to return to school, that case still wasn’t reflected on the MDCPS dashboard.

The school district said it would re-assess the cases and protocols on a weekly basis, based on local conditions. What criteria is being used? When will these decisions be communicated to parents? If the district wants parents to trust the data and mitigation protocols, we need to understand the rationale behind the decisions being made, and receive clear, timely communication about them.

What parents really want to know is: Are the mitigation protocols working? Do we have evidence of in-school transmission? Other large school districts, such as the Los Angeles Unified School District, provide this on their dashboard, and have specific criteria established for closing a school.

More testing needed

MDCPS frequently says decisions are made based on science and expert guidance. But at the last MDCPS Ad Hoc Public Health and Medical Experts Task Force meeting, the experts clearly said the proposed “surgical” quarantine of only those students within 6 feet of a positive case would not be sufficient given airborne transmission of COVID. Yet this is the current protocol. If this protocol was revisited, why wasn’t this information communicated to parents? Current CDC guidance for COVID prevention in K-12 schools recommends proactive screening testing when community transmission is high. Broward has implemented optional screening testing. Why hasn’t MDCPS?

Last year, I created a parent advocacy group, MDCPS Parents, to encourage sharing information about the transition to online schooling. My two elementary-aged children were enrolled in online school, and with a background in online education, I felt compelled to help others navigate the associated challenges. Parents were overwhelmed, concerned and confused.

My parent-led group now has more than 1,400 members and their sentiments this year are pretty much the same. Parents need clear, timely, useful communication that accurately reflects current conditions in schools and interprets the direct impact of COVID on MDCPS students.

Amanda Prieto lives in Miami-Dade County and is the founder of MDCPS Parents.

This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 11:57 AM.