The following is a joint statement from Knoxville Hospital & Clinics and Knoxville Community School District:

“Recently, there has been some discussion in our community related to the Knoxville Community School District’s (KCSD) policy of sharing specific data about COVID-19 cases.

From the start of the pandemic, community leaders representing Marion County Public Health, Knoxville Hospital & Clinics, Knoxville Community School District, and the City of Knoxville have collaborated to protect our community during these unprecedented times.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has directed that the most specific level of data will be released at the county level, and not broken down to community-specific data. As community organizations working together, we continue to determine how to best manage this challenging situation in a way that provides transparency while respecting the privacy of patients and their families. We believe this information should continue to come from this source, rather than from our public school or hospital.

Businesses and other government entities are not asked to share potentially identifying information about individuals’ health, as that information violates patient confidentiality. We should not be asking schools to be the exception and be required to share confidential health information about students and staff members.

Locally, Marion County Public Health (MCPH) has conducted contact tracing from the beginning of the pandemic, and its staff will continue to do so. MCPH is in communication with individuals who have been exposed. This is the direct line of identification that should take place when there is a confirmed case in the community.

Our school leaders will continue to diligently track two metrics required by the IDPH – the percent of positive cases in the county and then the absentee rate of students who are ill. The state’s current threshold for absentee rate is 10%. In comparison, the Knoxville School District’s rate has been less than 2%.

These times are stressful and unprecedented. It has taken a toll on all of us – families, health care workers, school staff, community leaders. We are all in this together and appreciate the community’s support as we continue to work to ensure our community is healthy and safe while the privacy of children, adults and families is protected.”

Kevin Kincaid, CEO, Knoxville Hospital & Clinics
Knoxville School Board
Marion County Public Health