NOTE TO READERS: Made edits to original post. Sorry.
The Biden transition team have indicated support for widespread K-12 screening testing. As they work towards the implementation of this, the districts involved with the Safer Teachers, Safer Students (STSS) Collaborative have been working together on multiple successful pilot programs to screen staff and students.
On December 17, the Massachusetts Safer Teachers, Safer Students Collaborative held their final meeting for 2020 with updates from 15 public school districts and 3 testing vendors. The Rockefeller Foundation also briefed the Collaborative on their recently issued guidance for nationwide K-12 testing.
Wellesley & Watertown have provided weekly testing for staff since their return to in-person learning, and recently began testing students, as well. Wellesley’s 10 week pilot included 18,704 tests. The Wellesley program identified 21 asymptomatic cases, detected an in-school office outbreak, enabled rapid contact tracing of positive asymptomatic cases and allowed for data-driven decision making to guide openings and closings of their schools. Wellesley surveyed 1149 staff and parents and found that surveillance testing profoundly improved confidence in in-person learning.
Salem & Northborough/Southborough have been performing weekly staff testing and recently began pooled student testing. Somerville & Westwood have performed baseline testing and are beginning weekly pooled testing of staff and students. And, Brookline announced town funding to support weekly testing of staff and students for up to 10 weeks beginning in January.
On the other hand, Newton & Weston are sporadically testing their staff. In Newton, staff who work directly with students are being offered tests once per month, over the course of the initial month-long roll-out. Newton Public Schools hope to scale up testing for staff to once every 2 weeks.
Several test vendors have been working with the collaborative in support of K-12 testing (CIC, Mirimus, Gingko, Project Beacon). All the vendors are offering pooled PCR-based testing options to drive costs down. The Ginkgo team announced a weekly, no-cost, 5 week testing pilot for public schools beginning in early January.
The Rockefeller Foundation reported that their number 1 priority is the return of K-12 students to in-person learning. Their report calls for moving teachers up in the vaccination schedules and for universal federal reimbursement for surveillance testing – with the recommendation of once per week for all K-12 students, and twice per week for all teachers and staff associated with schools. On Dec. 23 the incoming Biden administration announced their plan for universal weekly public school testing to support universal school reopening (adoption of the Rockefeller Foundation’s recommendations).
While vaccination doses are being delivered, in the near term, routine weekly viral screening tests will remain a critical tool to enable the safe return of students and staff to our schools.
Thank you so much to this group for all of your work to advocate for surveillance testing. It is so needed.
Yes, yes, yes! Masks, distancing, updated ventilation, and surveillance testing – all necessary aspects for a safe indoor environment. The addition of testing to the “pillars” to prevent the spread of COVID is critical, especially during the current surge upon a surge.
This Wellesley result is important: “that surveillance testing profoundly improved confidence in in-person learning.” The purpose is not only detection of the virus but to provide comfort and assurance to teachers, school nurses, custodians, other staff and families. There’s an emotional cost in stress and pressure that could be avoided.
Maybe I missed it, but I don’t recall reading anywhere why a similar approach is not being taken in Newton. I think I remember that City Councillors have expressed support for this kind of appropriation. We don’t have to look upon this an as annual operating expense: These next few months before widespread vaccination is available is the key period of time.
We shouldn’t wait for federal action: Biden doesn’t take over until Jan 20, and then he has to move the issue through Congress. Who knows how long that will take.
Thank you, yes! As a parent of two college kids who get tested weekly (one get tested 2x weekly) and whose campus operated successfully in the fall, I have seen first hand how it works. Why is Newton behind the pack?
Also a MUST: attestation apps like MyMedBot (used by local private schools) and CoVerified which automate the attestation that someone has not been out of state or exposed to Covid, no sickness in the home etc. Currently, this is not automated at NPS and I think only sporadic or randomly. These apps are free and are accessible on the web through their Chrome books for kids who do not have smartphones.
I am not sure of the plans for the HS return in January, but there is no excuse not to use these apps. It turns out the kids are the most honest when it comes to these apps from what my friends who are using them have told me. 🙂
Really good point about the attestation, Kim. It’s interesting, there is something about having to fill out the form each day you go to school that makes you think more carefully about whether you’ve had symptoms or may have been exposed to someone with the disease. We use it before taking our little boy to pre-school: It only takes 30 seconds or so using the app, but it makes a big difference in reducing risky behavior.
Agree with the value of routine surveillance testing – even if just to improve confidence in getting kids and teachers back to in-person learning ASAP – which we must work together to find a way to do!
Pooled testing should help make the costs work – I believe CIC Health is running pilots with other districts – so why not Newton? We used to be leaders in education!? Come on NPS!!
Hopefully some of the $450M coming to Mass via the new stimulus bill can be used to support this.
Frankly I’d love to see our city council hold hearings on this issue – also feel it is high time we establish a COVID advisory committee / task force made up of unbiased health professionals to help navigate the evolving scientific landscape and guide our city through recovery / reopening.
I agree with everything Kevin has said. The first City Council meeting held with the School Committee was eye opening, especially when they asked if the School Committee needed more funding to help with initiatives to bring teachers and students back to school-as safely as possible and the SC (Mayor) said they did not. Testing, mask wearing, safe distancing, washing hands, all of these things combined made for a pretty safe return to college campuses and they can help us get everyone who wants to be in our school buildings back. Podding for things like eating along with testing will allow us to mitigate spread if, and when (and there will be a when) it will also keep things in control. We need experts to advise us on all of these matters, teachers and other staff to explain to administrators how things really are in classroom settings, We need an independent COVID Task Force, we must listen to out teachers and involve them in the process. We must follow the examples of our peer institutions and not try to reinvent the wheel. What really depresses me is that there is more activity on a thread about how stupid Tom Mountain was than about our public schools, which used to be considered the crown jewel of Newton.