State Teachers Union Launches COVID Reporting Website

The state's teachers union unveiled a website in which teachers across Texas can report confirmed coronavirus cases and any work environments that they feel may not be safe.

Accurate information has been a key factor in making informed decisions ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March.  Now that school is underway and many planning for the resumption of in-person learning, gathering data on confirmed coronavirus cases at campus is a much sought-after commodity in order to try and ensure that students stay healthy and safe.

Teachers unfortunately are sometimes lost in the shuffle as the main focus has been on making sure everything possible is done to make sure children remain healthy.  It’s easy to forget that teachers in some cases will be required to work from campus and by also doing everything to ensure their safety, the learning environment as a whole will benefit.

The Texas American Federation of Teachers launched StopTheSpreadTX.school as an additional tool that will allow teachers to upload information on confirmed COVID-19 cases and other details.  The website will also allow for important dialogue to take place between teachers and union support staff in an effort to keep this pandemic from surging once again.

Any cases submitted will require a level of certification whether it be a news story, human resources letter, or other form of documentation and they will then be vetted prior to publishing in order to minimize duplicate reports.

Texas is already requiring school districts to self-report COVID-19 cases, but that information will be uploaded at the administrative level by each campus and/or school district.  StopTheSpreadTX.school will allow for the identification of any areas of concern based on reporting done by teaching staff at the ground level.

It truly takes a village and a school operates like one in many cases.  Thankfully, schools and their staff members do tend to pull in the same direction and any additional resource that could help keep that staff safe is a welcome addition.