Ted Deutch-led Democrats urging CDC to track and report school COVID-19 data

Ted Deutch is moving on. Another Democratic seat opens.

Rep. Ted Deutch and 23 other Democrats including Rep. Stephanie Murphy urged the federal government Tuesday to immediately begin tracking and releasing data on COVID-19 infections in schools.

Deutch, of Boca Raton, led a letter to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield on Tuesday asking him to begin collecting and publishing COVID-19 data to track the spread of the new coronavirus in schools. The data, they argued, would help researchers develop best safety practices to successfully continue reopening schools for in-person classes.

“The limited COVID-19 school data we do have so far is troubling,” the letter declares.

Deutch and the other members of Congress who signed the letter point to the CDC’s own report, “COVID-19 Trends Among School-Aged Children — United States, March 1 — September 19, 2020,” which was released Monday. That report’s conclusions include, “it is important for schools and communities to monitor multiple indicators of COVID-19 among school-aged children and layer prevention strategies to reduce COVID-19 disease risk for students, teachers, school staff, and families. These results can provide a baseline for monitoring trends and evaluating mitigation strategies.”

That should not be left to local school districts and states, argued Deutch and the others in their letter.

“Efforts to reopen our classrooms should not happen in the dark. If the Trump administration is truly committed to alleviating fear, reducing the risk of harm introduced by keeping kids out of school and protecting the safety of our students and communities, the CDC must step up to do the vital public health work necessary to understand and respond to COVID-19 transmission in our schools,” the letter states.

In addition to Deutch and Murphy, of Winter Park, the letter was signed by Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, Robin Kelly of Illinois, Haley Stevens of Michigan, Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia, Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Bill Pascrell, Jr. of New Jersey, Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Albio Sires of New Jersey, Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, Brenda Lawrence of Michigan, Tony Cárdenas of California, Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, Terri Sewell of Alabama, Mark DeSaulnier of California, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, Sylvia Garcia of Texas, Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania, Kim Schrier of Washington, and Lori Trahan of Massachusetts.