Mandatory vaccines for teachers/staff and eligible students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually I was wrong. LA Unified is mandating weekly testing of all teachers and students regardless of vaccination status.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-10/gov-newsom-expected-to-order-school-employees-to-get-vaccinated-or-be-tested-regularly%3f_amp=true

I wonder how they afford that.

Also, I wonder what their policies are regarding positives -- do they allow for retests to see if it was a false positive, do they send the entire class home, etc.

Their summer school testing I believe was the same thing -- weekly testing -- and that caught a very low rate of cases and very little spread in schools.

Weren't we given massive Covid relief funds? I know states have used them for EVERYTHING on their fantasy shopping lists, but shouldn't we (with these funds) be able to "afford" means to keep schools open and children safe? If that were high on the list, that is. Our summer camps tested, but schools not so much? I'm annoyed by the afford argument as we were given funds specifically to reopen society as best we can, not to backfill pet projects.

Quick back-of-the-envelope:

say you've got 100,000 kids in DC schools

35 weeks of school

Each test is $5 (?).

That gets you a cost of $17.5M.

I don't know if that's big or small in relation to DC's covid relief funds, nor do I know if that $5 includes the lab capacity (or it is just the cost of the test itself).

It's small. DC has a huge surplus that the Mayor and Council are spending on pet projects. They should be spending Covid relief funds on efforts like this first, pork/ideological initiatives after .

[Anonymous]

Our mayor has turned me against mayoral control of our schools. I feel like she has no idea what to do with schools and no interest in the topic. Yet she is a control freak who installed a puppet chancellor who cannot think for himself and acts to please her. DME also seems to be the same way. Maybe an independent school board is best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually I was wrong. LA Unified is mandating weekly testing of all teachers and students regardless of vaccination status.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-10/gov-newsom-expected-to-order-school-employees-to-get-vaccinated-or-be-tested-regularly%3f_amp=true

I wonder how they afford that.

Also, I wonder what their policies are regarding positives -- do they allow for retests to see if it was a false positive, do they send the entire class home, etc.

Their summer school testing I believe was the same thing -- weekly testing -- and that caught a very low rate of cases and very little spread in schools.

Weren't we given massive Covid relief funds? I know states have used them for EVERYTHING on their fantasy shopping lists, but shouldn't we (with these funds) be able to "afford" means to keep schools open and children safe? If that were high on the list, that is. Our summer camps tested, but schools not so much? I'm annoyed by the afford argument as we were given funds specifically to reopen society as best we can, not to backfill pet projects.

Quick back-of-the-envelope:

say you've got 100,000 kids in DC schools

35 weeks of school

Each test is $5 (?).

That gets you a cost of $17.5M.

I don't know if that's big or small in relation to DC's covid relief funds, nor do I know if that $5 includes the lab capacity (or it is just the cost of the test itself).

It's small. DC has a huge surplus that the Mayor and Council are spending on pet projects. They should be spending Covid relief funds on efforts like this first, pork/ideological initiatives after .

Yeah, apparently we received a ton. Like a ton of money. https://mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-announces-dc-receive-129-million-recovery-funding-after-receiving-approval

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually I was wrong. LA Unified is mandating weekly testing of all teachers and students regardless of vaccination status.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-10/gov-newsom-expected-to-order-school-employees-to-get-vaccinated-or-be-tested-regularly%3f_amp=true

I wonder how they afford that.

Also, I wonder what their policies are regarding positives -- do they allow for retests to see if it was a false positive, do they send the entire class home, etc.

Their summer school testing I believe was the same thing -- weekly testing -- and that caught a very low rate of cases and very little spread in schools.

Weren't we given massive Covid relief funds? I know states have used them for EVERYTHING on their fantasy shopping lists, but shouldn't we (with these funds) be able to "afford" means to keep schools open and children safe? If that were high on the list, that is. Our summer camps tested, but schools not so much? I'm annoyed by the afford argument as we were given funds specifically to reopen society as best we can, not to backfill pet projects.

Quick back-of-the-envelope:

say you've got 100,000 kids in DC schools

35 weeks of school

Each test is $5 (?).

That gets you a cost of $17.5M.

I don't know if that's big or small in relation to DC's covid relief funds, nor do I know if that $5 includes the lab capacity (or it is just the cost of the test itself).

It's small. DC has a huge surplus that the Mayor and Council are spending on pet projects. They should be spending Covid relief funds on efforts like this first, pork/ideological initiatives after .

Yeah, apparently we received a ton. Like a ton of money. https://mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-announces-dc-receive-129-million-recovery-funding-after-receiving-approval

Is there any accounting to where it has gone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually I was wrong. LA Unified is mandating weekly testing of all teachers and students regardless of vaccination status.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-10/gov-newsom-expected-to-order-school-employees-to-get-vaccinated-or-be-tested-regularly%3f_amp=true

I wonder how they afford that.

Also, I wonder what their policies are regarding positives -- do they allow for retests to see if it was a false positive, do they send the entire class home, etc.

Their summer school testing I believe was the same thing -- weekly testing -- and that caught a very low rate of cases and very little spread in schools.

Weren't we given massive Covid relief funds? I know states have used them for EVERYTHING on their fantasy shopping lists, but shouldn't we (with these funds) be able to "afford" means to keep schools open and children safe? If that were high on the list, that is. Our summer camps tested, but schools not so much? I'm annoyed by the afford argument as we were given funds specifically to reopen society as best we can, not to backfill pet projects.

Quick back-of-the-envelope:

say you've got 100,000 kids in DC schools

35 weeks of school

Each test is $5 (?).

That gets you a cost of $17.5M.

I don't know if that's big or small in relation to DC's covid relief funds, nor do I know if that $5 includes the lab capacity (or it is just the cost of the test itself).

Tests are going to be more than $5 unless you are pooling. Pooling can work if pods are isolated, but if incidence is high, the amount of confirmatory testing required creates some operational complexities. Not saying there shouldn't be testing, but it is going to be more expensive than that BOE math. The CDC had a pot of $10B in ELC funding for school testing that states/districts had to apply to receive. Not sure what D.C. asked for. There are additional federal funds and programs, but not sure what D.C. has specifically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually I was wrong. LA Unified is mandating weekly testing of all teachers and students regardless of vaccination status.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-10/gov-newsom-expected-to-order-school-employees-to-get-vaccinated-or-be-tested-regularly%3f_amp=true

I wonder how they afford that.

Also, I wonder what their policies are regarding positives -- do they allow for retests to see if it was a false positive, do they send the entire class home, etc.

Their summer school testing I believe was the same thing -- weekly testing -- and that caught a very low rate of cases and very little spread in schools.

Weren't we given massive Covid relief funds? I know states have used them for EVERYTHING on their fantasy shopping lists, but shouldn't we (with these funds) be able to "afford" means to keep schools open and children safe? If that were high on the list, that is. Our summer camps tested, but schools not so much? I'm annoyed by the afford argument as we were given funds specifically to reopen society as best we can, not to backfill pet projects.

Quick back-of-the-envelope:

say you've got 100,000 kids in DC schools

35 weeks of school

Each test is $5 (?).

That gets you a cost of $17.5M.

I don't know if that's big or small in relation to DC's covid relief funds, nor do I know if that $5 includes the lab capacity (or it is just the cost of the test itself).

Tests are going to be more than $5 unless you are pooling. Pooling can work if pods are isolated, but if incidence is high, the amount of confirmatory testing required creates some operational complexities. Not saying there shouldn't be testing, but it is going to be more expensive than that BOE math. The CDC had a pot of $10B in ELC funding for school testing that states/districts had to apply to receive. Not sure what D.C. asked for. There are additional federal funds and programs, but not sure what D.C. has specifically.

I did the BOE math and got that $5 from that ASM article on testing (https://asm.org/Articles/2020/November/SARS-CoV-2-Testing-Sensitivity-Is-Not-the-Whole-St). The tests that I've purchased OTC are more like $12/test. At that price the cost would be up to $42M. I'm not sure what sort of bulk pricing city governments can get, so individual testing for students is probably somewhere between $17.5M and $42M.

I agree that pooled testing is cheaper and would be a better option, but I feel like DC isn't amazing at figuring things out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually I was wrong. LA Unified is mandating weekly testing of all teachers and students regardless of vaccination status.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-10/gov-newsom-expected-to-order-school-employees-to-get-vaccinated-or-be-tested-regularly%3f_amp=true

I wonder how they afford that.

Also, I wonder what their policies are regarding positives -- do they allow for retests to see if it was a false positive, do they send the entire class home, etc.

Their summer school testing I believe was the same thing -- weekly testing -- and that caught a very low rate of cases and very little spread in schools.

Weren't we given massive Covid relief funds? I know states have used them for EVERYTHING on their fantasy shopping lists, but shouldn't we (with these funds) be able to "afford" means to keep schools open and children safe? If that were high on the list, that is. Our summer camps tested, but schools not so much? I'm annoyed by the afford argument as we were given funds specifically to reopen society as best we can, not to backfill pet projects.

Quick back-of-the-envelope:

say you've got 100,000 kids in DC schools

35 weeks of school

Each test is $5 (?).

That gets you a cost of $17.5M.

I don't know if that's big or small in relation to DC's covid relief funds, nor do I know if that $5 includes the lab capacity (or it is just the cost of the test itself).

Tests are going to be more than $5 unless you are pooling. Pooling can work if pods are isolated, but if incidence is high, the amount of confirmatory testing required creates some operational complexities. Not saying there shouldn't be testing, but it is going to be more expensive than that BOE math. The CDC had a pot of $10B in ELC funding for school testing that states/districts had to apply to receive. Not sure what D.C. asked for. There are additional federal funds and programs, but not sure what D.C. has specifically.

I did the BOE math and got that $5 from that ASM article on testing (https://asm.org/Articles/2020/November/SARS-CoV-2-Testing-Sensitivity-Is-Not-the-Whole-St). The tests that I've purchased OTC are more like $12/test. At that price the cost would be up to $42M. I'm not sure what sort of bulk pricing city governments can get, so individual testing for students is probably somewhere between $17.5M and $42M.

I agree that pooled testing is cheaper and would be a better option, but I feel like DC isn't amazing at figuring things out.

Some nuances -- most programs that are <$5 / test have two unique components 1) pooling and 2) self-swab (aka, kids swabbing themselves). Once you consider non-pooling options and the fact you either need to do a swab mail in OR have someone do the collection, costs can go up 2-10x. As you said, I dont have a lot of faith in DC to take on more complex programs like pooling or self-swab, so I doubt we could execute a program that is on the lowest end.

End of the day, I am not hopeful at this point we will see any significant school testing for students.