Dallas ISD has launched a Covid-19 Dashboard that tracks internally confirmed positive cases at schools and facilities across the district.
Go here to view the dashboard.
Meanwhile, we know there are some questions about what happens when there is a reported positive Covid-19 case at a school. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the Covid-19 tracking and reporting process in Dallas ISD.
Read a PDF with more details on contact tracing and reporting.
What happens when there is a positive case on campus? Who is notified?
Anyone on a campus who is not feeling well—adult or student—goes to the school nurse for an evaluation. In the evaluation, the nurse determines if the person has symptoms for Covid-19 by utilizing the COVID-19 screening tool developed by Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS). If so, they are sent home and the school moves everyone from the classroom or office and deep cleans the space. The campus nurse documents the information in the student electronic health record, notifies the principal and shares the information with the district’s Health Services department. The online contact tracing form is to be completed for campus staff.
Covid-19 Response Team
To ensure a timely response to confirmed positive reports the COVID-19 response team works together to identify close contacts—people who have been within six feet of the person for at least 15 minutes. If the person who is symptomatic later tests positive, the Health Department notifies everyone who was listed on the health information as the person’s close contacts.
What happens if individuals test positive for Covid-19?
If confirmed positive, individuals are required to isolate for 10 days and close contacts are notified. Close contacts are asked to self-quarantine for 14 days as it takes 2-14 days to show symptoms. In the case of a parent who calls to report a positive case, the school nurse documents it in the student electronic health record and reports the information to Dallas County Health Services (DCHHS) School Report Form.
What triggers the closure of a facility?
The decision to close a school depends on the number of Covid-19 positive cases that can be linked cases. For example: An individual is confirmed positive for Covid-19, and within 14 days five of their close contacts also become ill and test positive for Covid-19. This is a total of six linked cases, which on the advice of Dallas County Health department, might trigger the closure of a facility.
