Solon Schools Suspend Use Of COVID Dashboard

SOLON, OH — The Solon Schools suspended case reporting on the district's COVID-19 dashboard this month.

On Friday, the school system stopped reporting student and staff COVID-19 cases on the Solon Schools COVID-19 Dashboard. The schools also stopped reporting positive cases directly to the local board of health.

The adjustment in the district's COVID-19 reporting policies follows updated guidance from the Ohio Department of Health. COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped 59 percent in the past three weeks, and 91 percent in the past two months, the Ohio Hospital Association reported on Monday.

"However, if parents contact one of our schools to report a student absence for COVID-19, we will continue with our current practice of sending informational notifications of possible exposure just as we do for other communicable illnesses, like strep," district leaders told families in a letter on Friday.

Students and staff are no longer required to wear masks inside Solon Schools buildings.

"Families will continue to make individual decisions about their children’s need to continue wearing a mask based on their specific family and personal needs as well as their own risk assessment. This is in line with current CDC and state guidelines," the district said.

The district will continue to encourage frequent hand washing, good ventilation, frequent cleaning of the schools and will tell staff and students to stay home if they are feeling ill. Those are good practices to stop the spread of COVID and other illnesses, like the flu, the district added.

"Moving forward, we will continue to consult with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and other public health experts should community conditions change. But for now, this is excellent news as we move toward a return to normal for all of our end-of-year activities," the Solon Schools said.