APPEALING HIS CASE. WE’RE LIVE TONIGHT. I’M VIC MICOLUCCI CHANNEL 4 THE LOCAL
STATION.
>>TOM WILLS: FACING THE FALL DUVAL COUNTY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SAY ALMOST 6800
STUDENTS HAVE NOT YET APPEARED
IN SCHOOL WHETHER THAT BE THROUGH VIRTUAL LEARNING OR BRICK AND
MORTAR CLASSROOMS. THE DISTRICT
IS URGING THE FAMILIES OF THOSE
STUDENTS TO CONTACT THEIR
SCHOOL TO CHECK IN
AT THE SAME TIME THE DISTRICT
IS TRYING TO GET APPROVAL FROM
THE STATE TO RELEASE THE NUMBER
OF COVID-19 CASES THAT ARE
OCCURRING HERE IN THE SCHOOLS.
THE DISTRICT STARTED PUBLISHING
INFORMATION MONDAY, SHARING THE 2 TEACHERS AND 2 STUDENTS HAD TESTED POSITIVE THEN
TUESDAY, THE LOCAL DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH BLOCKED ANY FURTHER
RELEASE OF INFORMATION SAYING
WITHOUT STATE PERMISSION THAT
WAS ILLEGAL NEWS 4 JAX I TEAM
INVESTIGATOR KELLY WILEY FOUND
LEGAL EXPERTS WHO SAY
JUST THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE SHE
JOINING US NOW LIVE FROM LANDON
MIDDLE SCHOOL IN SAN MARCO
KELLY.
>> AND TO BE CLEAR THE DISTRICT WAS STARTING TO RELEASE COUNTS OF HOW MANY TEACHERS AND
STUDENTS AT EACH SCHOOL IT
TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
FOR INSTANCE AT LANDING COLLEGE
PREP THEY REPORTED ONE CASE,
BUT THEY WERE NOT
RELEASING ADDRESSES OR NAMES OR
ANY IDENTIFYING INFORMATION THE
DISTRICT SAYS THEY ARE WORKING
TO GET THIS INFORMATION BACK
PUBLIC AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
ONE WEEK INTO THE NEW SCHOOL
YEAR AT DUKE LAW SCHOOL IS
BEING BLOCKED FROM REPORTING
THE AMOUNT OF COVID-19
CASES IN ITS SCHOOLS, DAD
PARENTS LIKE JENNIFER COWARD
SAYS THEY NEED IN ORDER TO MAKE
DECISIONS FOR PUTTING HER
DAUGHTER BACK IN
THE CLASSROOM.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF
THERE ARE CASES IN THAT SCHOOL
IS THAT ONE CASE AND IT DOESN’T
SPREAD AND AND
WE PREVENT MAJOR SPREAD OF THE
SCHOOL AND EVERYBODY ELSE AS
WELL.
>> OR.
>> IS IT ONE CASE AND THEN THE
NEXT WEEK IT’S 10 CASES
DUVALSCHOOLS COMMUNICATION
DIRECTOR SAYS DISTRICT
OFFICIALS WERE TOLD OVER A
CONFERENCE CALL TUESDAY WITH
STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS THAT
THEIR DASHBOARD PUBLISHING
SCHOOL
CASE COUNTS.
>> WAS CONTRARY TO A FLORIDA
STATUTE RIGHT NOW I WOULD WANT
TO KNOW WHAT THOSE CASES ARE
BECAUSE THAT’S GOING TO IMPACT
THE DECISIONS
I MAKE AND WE BELIEVE STRONGLY
THAT PARENTS SHOULD HAVE THE
INFORMATION FLORIDA DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH SAID IT MISTAKENLY
PUBLISHED CASES OF COVID-19 IN
SCHOOLS ON MONDAY. BUT TOOK IT
DOWN QUICKLY, ADDING IT COULD BE DAYS OR WEEKS BEFORE THEY PUBLISH THE DATA AGAIN RIGHT
NOW THE STATE IS NOT RELEASING
THAT DAY TO YOU GUYS ARE NOW NO
LONGER RELEASING THAT DATA THAT
DOCTOR BRAIN. >> AND ALL CONCERNED THAT THERE’S NOWHERE TO TURN FOR
YOUR PARENTS TO LOOK FOR THAT
WHEN I CAN DEFINITIVELY SAID IS
THAT WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
SEE.
>> THE THE THE APPROVAL OR THE
LEGAL PATHWAY BY WHICH WE’RE ABLE TO SHARE THIS DATA AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN WE’RE STILL
COLLECTING A WE’RE STILL
AGGREGATING IT. WE HAVE IT WE
JUST CAN’T SHARE IN A
PUBLIC FORUM.
>> AT THE MALL LEGAL FLORIDA
HEALTH CARE LAW IT HIPPA SAY
THE STATUTE. THE
STATE CITED DOES NOT APPLY
TO SCHOOL DISTRICT IS SAYING
THAT THERE ARE 17 CASES THAT
ABC MIDDLE SCHOOL HELPS TO
PREVENT AN OUTBREAK. THERE’S
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN THE
STATUTE THAT SAYS THEY CAN’T DO
IT IN FACT THE STATUTE SAYS
PLEASE PERMIT THE RELEASE
OF THAT.
>> D IDENTIFY ONE WORK ARGUED
THIS CORRESPONDING DUTY BY THE
SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PROPERLY INFORM PARENTS AND STUDENTS. POTENTIAL FOR DANGER POTENTIAL
FOR BEING NO OTHER THINGS WITH
YEAH. THEY’RE BUILDING.
>> AND THE DISTRICT SAID IF YOU IF A STUDENT OR TEACHER COMES IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH
SOMEONE THEY KNOW HAS TESTED
POSITIVE YOU WOULD STILL
RECEIVE SOME SORT OF
NOTIFICATION THROUGH CONTACT
TRACING PURPOSES ADDITIONALLY
THE DISTRICT COULD ALSO SEND
OUT SOME KIND OF NOTIFICATION
ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL CASE
TO PARENTS THAT HAS TO SAY GO
TO THAT SPECIFIC SCHOOL THEY
CAN NOT HOWEVER PUT IT THIS
DASHBOARD WHERE THEY CAN SHOW
HOW MANY CASES CUMULATIVELY