Why can't DCPS test all students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weekly? Or even bi-weekly?

This is what the private schools are doing and it's working. DCPS can take a portion of the $1.8 BILLION they were just given to hire a company to conduct tests on site (of which there are many). They split up the testing throughout the week so it's not the entire school on any given day. Teachers would have designated times where they release those kids for testing during the day and they're back in the classroom 10 minutes later. This would be a huge step towards identifying cases. Testing "10-20 percent" barely scratches the surface of what's going through the schools. So why aren't they doing this? And how can we pressure them to make this happen?

There are estimates that testing costs $33 per individual. Quick math of 50,000 students and 35 weeks of school is about 59-60 million per year for testing all students weekly.

I don't know where your estimate comes from, but let's say that's true. If they cut this to bi-weekly you're at $30 million out of $1.8 billion. If community spread rises you move to weekly. This is LITERALLY what the money is for.

The $33 is from this article https://www.chalkbeat.org/2021/3/17/22336206/10-billion-for-covid-testing-in-schools-federal-reopening-push. In one of the posts above there is a link to a thread which quotes $35 per test for Shield T3.

I think weekly testing is worth it AND that there should also be a "test to stay" program implemented immediately. Weekly testing will hopefully identify all positives. It will also lead to identification of close contacts. One positive case in a school and dozens of students (and potentially staff) have to quarantine. A "test to stay" program would repeatedly test all close contacts and keep more students in school while minimizing risks of spread.

In the end, money will be spent -- whether later to make up for all the "lost learning" due to quarantines and instability of keeping schools operating or now through greater testing, vaccinations and mitigating spread.

It's probably even cheaper, assuming the $35 is per test processed. Our charter tests 100% every week (staff and students) and they use the Shield testing, but it is a pooled test. 24 individuals per pool. If there is a positive, they just retest the already collected saliva from each individual in the pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LA school district is huge. So much larger than DCPS. If they can test everyone once a week. So can we! Shame on DCPS for not doing it. They have the money, they need the will. Yes, it causes some logistical issues. Those can be worked out. It is key to health and keeping kids in school.

DC obviously does not believe that opening schools underpins a functioning city? These other cities do...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LA school district is huge. So much larger than DCPS. If they can test everyone once a week. So can we! Shame on DCPS for not doing it. They have the money, they need the will. Yes, it causes some logistical issues. Those can be worked out. It is key to health and keeping kids in school.

DC obviously does not believe that opening schools underpins a functioning city? These other cities do...

Half the coronavirus cases in schools are tied to adults. We need to mandate vaccines for all adults.

I hope DCPS will follow MCPS's lead there. The weekly testing should happen on top of that since with the kids we will still have a very large unvaxxed population.

[Anonymous]

You can pool the tests.

[Anonymous]

I work in a dcps school and can attest to the logistical nightmare that is testing. The OP mentioned a quick “ten minutes” . I’m in an elementary school, getting a group of our 3 and 4 year olds halfway across the school to the designated testing room with a stranger (teachers are still teaching the rest) to then have to give their DOB (which many don’t know) open a tiny tube by themselves, spit into said tube and close it and return to class takes way longer than 10 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in a dcps school and can attest to the logistical nightmare that is testing. The OP mentioned a quick “ten minutes” . I’m in an elementary school, getting a group of our 3 and 4 year olds halfway across the school to the designated testing room with a stranger (teachers are still teaching the rest) to then have to give their DOB (which many don’t know) open a tiny tube by themselves, spit into said tube and close it and return to class takes way longer than 10 minutes.

There are ways to expedite. And if it takes more time for the younger kids, fine. The benefits far outweigh an inconvenience.

[Anonymous]

Is there data to support this? I can’t seem to find when doing an internet search.
Do school systems that test all students weekly do better on COVID than those that don’t? Does testing 100% or 10% each week make school safer? Or does it make parents “feel” safer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in a dcps school and can attest to the logistical nightmare that is testing. The OP mentioned a quick “ten minutes” . I’m in an elementary school, getting a group of our 3 and 4 year olds halfway across the school to the designated testing room with a stranger (teachers are still teaching the rest) to then have to give their DOB (which many don’t know) open a tiny tube by themselves, spit into said tube and close it and return to class takes way longer than 10 minutes.

The spit test is ridiculous. Why aren't they doing a quick swab?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there data to support this? I can’t seem to find when doing an internet search.
Do school systems that test all students weekly do better on COVID than those that don’t? Does testing 100% or 10% each week make school safer? Or does it make parents “feel” safer?

10% is fine. People are crazy here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there data to support this? I can’t seem to find when doing an internet search.
Do school systems that test all students weekly do better on COVID than those that don’t? Does testing 100% or 10% each week make school safer? Or does it make parents “feel” safer?

Depends on what you mean by “do better.” Schools that are doing regular weekly testing will find more asymptomatic infections. I can’t cite any data but, yes, that feels safer. Finding more asymptomatic infections means more quarantines but, hopefully, less actual spread. I’d like to see any data on this as well.

IMO, doing best would be more testing and 100% vaccination of all who are eligible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in a dcps school and can attest to the logistical nightmare that is testing. The OP mentioned a quick “ten minutes” . I’m in an elementary school, getting a group of our 3 and 4 year olds halfway across the school to the designated testing room with a stranger (teachers are still teaching the rest) to then have to give their DOB (which many don’t know) open a tiny tube by themselves, spit into said tube and close it and return to class takes way longer than 10 minutes.

There are ways to expedite. And if it takes more time for the younger kids, fine. The benefits far outweigh an inconvenience.

I completely agree with you. I guess my argument was that with the current resources and human capital, it ain’t gonna happen. DCPS promised 10% of students tested weekly. I don’t know one school in which that has happened yet. And we are going on week 4.

[Anonymous]

Because 👏 they 👏 don’t 👏 want 👏 to 👏know.

You think this is a mess- just wait until we all back virtual.

Honestly/ I’ll never understand wealthy people who subject their kids to DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because 👏 they 👏 don’t 👏 want 👏 to 👏know.

You think this is a mess- just wait until we all back virtual.

Honestly/ I’ll never understand wealthy people who subject their kids to DCPS.

Oh please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cynical part of me says that DCPS believes the less they test the less cases they’ll find. But I also believe they’re just way too incompetent to put a decent testing program in place. (I guess that’s pretty cynical too.) I’m not one who is freaking out about the cases or thinks we should go back to virtual. But I do think DCPS, with all its money, could be doing so much better for our kids.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Weekly? Or even bi-weekly?

This is what the private schools are doing and it's working. DCPS can take a portion of the $1.8 BILLION they were just given to hire a company to conduct tests on site (of which there are many). They split up the testing throughout the week so it's not the entire school on any given day. Teachers would have designated times where they release those kids for testing during the day and they're back in the classroom 10 minutes later. This would be a huge step towards identifying cases. Testing "10-20 percent" barely scratches the surface of what's going through the schools. So why aren't they doing this? And how can we pressure them to make this happen?

Where can I find out more about this funding and its requirements?