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. @dcpublicschools released its #ReopenStrong plan & nowhere does it talk about the critical need for COVID testing of all returning staff and students 1/26
This makes us one of the only major school districts without a testing plan, and unnecessarily puts our children and frontline school staff at risk 2/26
Dr. Fauci tells us that up to 45% of all COVID cases can be asymptomatic. DC’s “Ask, Ask, Look” protocol does not address these cases 3/26
We know from scientists & drs. that cases are the most contagious before they develop symptoms. DC’s “Ask, Ask, Look” protocol doesn’t address these cases 4/26
Inviting the most vulnerable students back acknowledges the real inequities of virtual learning. Not having a testing plan ignores those inequities 5/26
We know that families may struggle w/transportation to city testing sites & not have leave to take off work to get tested and await result 6/26
We need widespread testing at schools for all returning students & staff. If we can put a traveling dentist in a trailer we can create mobile testing units 7/26
Researchers from #Duke & @RockefellerFdn gave specific guidelines for symptom-based and screening-based testing 8/26
Based on the most recent DC COVID numbers of 8.5 per 100,000 from https://coronavirus.dc.gov/page/reopening-metrics they recommend testing all students & staff biweekly 9/26
When we cross more than 10 cases per 100,000 this moves to two times a week 10/26 https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/A-National-Decision-Point-Effective-Testing-Screening-for-Covid-19-Full-Report.pdf pg 17
Why does DC not have a testing plan as they #ReopenStrong? How can we possibly identify, trace, & isolate cases if we don’t have a plan for finding them? 11/26
Almost all of the major school districts that have opened or plan to in this country are doing so with a coronavirus testing plan. All but DC. 12/26
New York City has reopened schools with a testing plan in place. 13/26 https://abc7ny.com/amp/covid-testing-yellow-zone-nyc-schools-coronavirus-tests/7071096/
Los Angeles will be testing all school staff, returning or not, and all students in early education centers & elementary schools 14/26 https://achieve.lausd.net/covidtesting
Houston has made many schools in hard-hit areas testing sites themselves 15/26 https://houstonemergency.org/covid-19-testing/
Florida plans to deploy rapid tests to schools to assist with isolating students and identifying cases 16/26 https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/state/2020/09/29/florida-receive-millions-rapid-coronavirus-test-kits/3574733001/
Nevada has created the Task Force Initiative for Educator’s Safety and Screening to provide COVID testing to public school employees 17/26 https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/education/state-announces-free-covid-19-tests-for-all-public-school-employees-2121598/
Why can’t DC follow the health & safety guidelines of experts to #ReopenStrong with a clear, widespread, and ongoing COVID testing plan? 18/26
If @FriendshipPCS can do it, @dcpublicschools can do it. 19/26 https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/education/dc-public-charter-schools-students-back-in-person-learning-what-it-looks-like/65-5d668b56-4186-4c6a-802c-023db34244d7
I’m glad DC shared its plan for how to quarantine when families, students, or staff test positive. But they didn’t share how schools or families will know 20/26
https://www.petworthnews.org/s/Situational-update-presentation-10-05-20.pdf
https://www.petworthnews.org/s/Situational-update-presentation-10-05-20.pdf
Telling families and staff to wait in line at public sites is not acceptable 21/26
The mayor decided to open schools without further consulting or collaborating with @WTUTeacher and has still not reached an agreement with them. 22/26
If we are going to open schools in 2 weeks we can & should join other districts in committing to #ReopenStrong the safest way we possibly can 23/26
Widespread, ongoing COVID-19 testing for students & staff is a key part 24/26
In a time of budget crisis we may as a city ask, “how can we afford this?” 25/26
But when putting our most precious future resources, our children & frontline school workers, back in school how can we afford not to? 26/26
And last (unnumbered) ideas - we need clear metrics for when DC would consider a return to all virtual if the numbers get bad again, especially as we head into flu season and the winter (think what is happening in Europe right now).
And we need to find a way for @_DCHealth to have our cohort information to notify schools directly of any positive case rather than rely on self-reporting of students and families. We can and should close the communication loop in order to maintain transparency!
Another day, another update. Some schools outside Chicago are having to close again after cases are surging and now city officials are seeing the importance of testing in identify and managing cases in a targeted way. https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-covid-19-schools-reopening-then-closing-20201020-syms44ttpjezhbahkrtxvo2keq-story.html
Now they are re-visiting testing and see it as a necessary component to #ReopenStrong. @dcpublicschools & @mayorbowser take note & let us learn from districts across the country.
“New Trier officials recently approved a contract for voluntary weekly saliva screening for students and staff — a process that Sally said ‘could go a long way toward helping get more students back on campus for uninterrupted learning.’” https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-covid-19-schools-reopening-then-closing-20201020-syms44ttpjezhbahkrtxvo2keq-story.html
And we have an update out of NYC – the city has been doing random testing of all staff & students & set up mobile testing sites at schools in the hardest-hit communities for targeted screening. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/nyregion/schools-coronavirus.html
Even still experts are calling for more to not just open but to stay open safely “Also, some experts have called for much more frequent random testing in all schools — something that city officials are considering — in order to increase the odds of discovering an outbreak early.”
While some testing is better than DC’s lack of a plan, random testing still isn’t enough to control outbreaks. Experts are now calling for testing at minimum two times per month. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/nyregion/schools-virus-testing-outbreak.html
“Mr. de Blasio’s senior adviser for health, Dr. Jay Varma, agreed that more testing would tend to catch outbreaks earlier. But he said that the research failed to take into account tests that students may receive outside of schools-at community testing stations, clinics and so on
— which are routinely forwarded to the city’s health department…Sorting through that additional information and tracing it back to schools is a challenge, Dr. Varma said. Parents are also supposed to report a positive test by their children to schools.”
This is self-reporting expectation is the current model for @dcpublicschools to reopen and we know that self-reporting is not enough. We need all voices in the city calling for a testing plan that connects @_DCHealth to schools for full transparency.
“The crucial advantage of higher levels of testing in schools, the N.Y.U. researchers said, is to prevent the infection of large numbers of students at schools before an outbreak is detected. That assurance could be a comfort to parents” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/nyregion/schools-virus-testing-outbreak.html
I would argue that a #ReopenStrong plan with reasonable testing & expectations of reporting cases would be a comfort to all of us (speaking as an educator slated to go back in person). We can & should do better. JOIN ME in saying this until our city officials do better.
My thread 3- CDC edition: Today on the @kojoshow, @DCPSChancellor Ferebee said they weren’t considering widespread testing due to CDC guidance. I am linking here the CDC guidance on testing in schools for you to read for yourself. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-testing.html
“Public health officials and school administrators may consider placing a higher priority for testing in schools that serve populations experiencing a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 cases or severe disease.”
“These may include: Schools with moderate/large proportions of racial & ethnic groups that have experienced higher rates of COVID-19 cases relative to population size. Schools in geographic areas with limited access to testing due to distance or lack of availability of testing.”
When we invite back the most vulnerable students furthest from opportunity we are selecting from students that likely fall in both of these risk categories. If @DCPSChancellor wants to talk about CDC guidance then let’s follow it!
The CDC also says to consider more widespread testing for “Schools in communities with moderate, higher, and highest risk of transmission” The CDC considers having more than 20 cases per 100,000 as moderate risk. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/indicators.html#thresholds
It should be noted that this number is more conservative than the research coming out of NYU, Duke & @RockefellerFdn. See here more https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/nyregion/schools-virus-testing-outbreak.html and https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/A-National-Decision-Point-Effective-Testing-Screening-for-Covid-19-Full-Report.pdf pg 17
But using 20/100,000 as moderate, is @mayorbowser committing to implement widespread testing per CDC guidance if we rise above that level? As cases around the country trend in the wrong direction w/flu season upon us it is not unreasonable to think that might happen in Term 2
And what do LA, Las Vegas, Miami, NYC, & San Francisco know that DC doesn’t? Why aren’t we tracking and learning from the biggest public school districts in their testing policies, many of whom have already opened? Can @PaulKihn speak to this?
The few measures @DCPSChancellor did mention on the @kojoshow were news to us – nowhere has @dcpublicschools said anything about priority testing for teachers (and what that means) or saliva tests for students. If that is happening – where is the plan?
Staff & families deserve answers to these most basic questions before making the decision to return to school in 12 days. I’m glad @DCPSChancellor started that conversation and now there is so much more to say.
