NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne) -- Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has walked back promises to report school level data on COVID-19 outbreaks.
The governor announced last week that the state planned to make the data available online. However, Lee told reporters Tuesday that only county level data on the number of school age children infected would be reported.
Lee said it was determined Tennessee couldn’t release more detailed information without violating federal health and education guidelines.
The governor stressed that a balance had to be found between parents who want to know what’s happening in their child’s school and parents who want to protect their child’s privacy.
The state will allow local authorities to release school specific data on coronavirus clusters if they choose to do so.
The Rutherford County Schools system did just that on Tuesday, reporting that it would close Smyrna Elementary following the quarantine of 53 students and eight teachers. Students at the school will continue to attend classes online.
