Where our information comes from

Official sources first

School requirements come from each state’s own laws, rules and health department guidance. Disease and vaccine information comes from federal and state public health agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state health departments.

Outbreak alerts come only from health agencies

News stories can tell us something is happening, but they are never our source. We follow the story back to the public health agency and use only what the agency reports. Social media and rumours are never used.

Only what matters to families

We only show alerts about the 41 diseases Skupie covers, and only when they matter to K–12 families — an outbreak, a cluster of cases, an exposure at a school or child care setting, or a county or state advisory. Each alert covers the area of the agency that issued it.

Kept current

• Urgent health agency alerts are read every business day.
• Outbreak data is reviewed every week.
• Every source behind our school and disease content, for all 50 states and Washington, D.C., is checked on a regular schedule. When a requirement or recommendation changes, we update the app.
• In a public health emergency, urgent alerts are read more often.

When the sources don’t agree

Sometimes federal guidance, state law and your school’s own policy don’t line up. When that happens, we show you the difference and link you to each source. We don’t tell you which one wins.

Written to be understood

Everything is written at or below an 8th-grade reading level. The Spanish is translated from the checked English, so both languages say the same thing with the same numbers.

Sources on every page

Each Fact Sheet and state page lists the sources behind it, so you can read the original yourself.

Found something wrong?

Tell us. Use Send Feedback in the app or email hello@skupie.com. We read every message.