OLATHE, Kan. — The country’s largest teacher union is now tracking COVID-19 cases throughout the U.S. – and it all started with a concerned educator in Kansas.
From her apartment in Johnson County, Alisha Morris started searching online for stories about coronavirus cases in schools as the new school year got underway. The Kansas City Star reported in the first week alone in early August, she found about 330 schools across the country that were dealing with the virus.
"There were only three or four states that were even having school and there were already cases, which is why the information was so shocking in the first place," Morris told the Kansas City Star.
She had growing concerns and she knew many other educators who felt the same way.
“I was stunned at the explosion of cases in some states and couldn’t imagine what educators and students were going through,” she told the National Education Association (NEA).
Her work tracking coronavirus cases in schools quickly caught the attention of teachers nationwide. As the workload increased, more people began volunteering to help. Soon, Morris’ simple Google spreadsheet was making national headlines in The Washington Post, on Good Morning America and on NPR.
“From day one, my intention wasn’t to take any specific position on any issue,” Morris told the NEA. “I just wanted to empower educators to help their districts make informed decisions. I wanted to do my part in getting the information out there.”
The NEA, a national union for teachers and educators, is now helping Morris spread the word. The union took over the spreadsheet. NEA’s website says educators can not only report COVID-19 cases but also voice their concerns about health and safety issues at schools and campuses.
“I was so relieved when I got the call,” Morris said in a story posted on NEA’s website. “Because I know NEA will do a great job and turn it into a well-oiled machine that can reach even more people.”
“NEA’s goal is to use this data to protect educators, students, and their families from unsafe reopening policies, as well as to shine a light on the complete failure of policymakers to listen to educators’ and parents’ warnings about reopening schools and campuses with no plan or regard for student and faculty safety,” the union’s website states.
NEA said it’s taking Morris’ work a step further by adding in colleges and universities across the country.
The project breaks down reports of COVID-19 cases in schools by state. From there, each state's spreadsheet includes reports by school district and which specific schools are involved. The spreadsheet includes dates when coronavirus cases were reported and how many, along with links to news coverage.
You can check out the project on NEA’s website.
The Associated Press and Kansas City Star contributed to this report.
