DCPS Takeway: You must to test and register result on 1/4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They won’t need to test every single person, just enough to justify closing.

Teachers must test on Monday. If “too many” are positive, they will likely close individual classes, grades, or schools. Knowing how many teachers are available will tell them how many students they can handle…

Then on Tuesday, they’ll look at the student population submissions. If they have enough negative-tested kids AND enough negative-tested teachers, they’ll start mixing and matching and building temporary classroom groups. They will also know the ratio of tested to untested students and the ratio of positive to negative within the tested population. From this they can extrapolate and estimate the whole population ratio.

By the Tuesday deadline, they’ll know if they’ll have enough teachers to handle admitting the estimated number of students who will test negative at the door, and be able to print out the “admit” and “deny entry” lists for Wednesday morning, as well as classroom assignments.

They probably have some threshold they’ll use to declare defeat and just cancel school. If they do actually hold school on Wednesday, all the non-tested students will be denied entry and have their parents called or texted (the night before or when they arrive). If an unescorted student shows up at school untested, the parents can be called to come (back) to the school, fetch their kid and a test kit and upload their results or present them or just say it was negative.

Also, and here’s the fun part, the rapid tests miss about half of the positive specimens. So for each student who is identified as positive and told to stay home there is another positive student whose test reports negative and who gets admitted.

Source: informed speculation

This all sounds reasonable and likely

I too use your source 😉

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They won’t need to test every single person, just enough to justify closing.

Teachers must test on Monday. If “too many” are positive, they will likely close individual classes, grades, or schools. Knowing how many teachers are available will tell them how many students they can handle…

Then on Tuesday, they’ll look at the student population submissions. If they have enough negative-tested kids AND enough negative-tested teachers, they’ll start mixing and matching and building temporary classroom groups. They will also know the ratio of tested to untested students and the ratio of positive to negative within the tested population. From this they can extrapolate and estimate the whole population ratio.

By the Tuesday deadline, they’ll know if they’ll have enough teachers to handle admitting the estimated number of students who will test negative at the door, and be able to print out the “admit” and “deny entry” lists for Wednesday morning, as well as classroom assignments.

They probably have some threshold they’ll use to declare defeat and just cancel school. If they do actually hold school on Wednesday, all the non-tested students will be denied entry and have their parents called or texted (the night before or when they arrive). If an unescorted student shows up at school untested, the parents can be called to come (back) to the school, fetch their kid and a test kit and upload their results or present them or just say it was negative.

Also, and here’s the fun part, the rapid tests miss about half of the positive specimens. So for each student who is identified as positive and told to stay home there is another positive student whose test reports negative and who gets admitted.

Source: informed speculation

Every university in the area is going virtual for January. Do you want to just give up and do that too? How about we give this a try and attempt to keep kids in school while limiting spread of the virus? The test is painless and requires minimal effort.

https://dcist.com/story/21/12/29/coronavirus-universities-dc-md-va-virtual-spring-howard-georgetown-gallaudet/

[Anonymous]

A negative test on 1/4/22 means nothing for 1/5/22. Any of those negative tests could be positive a day later. So you will catch some positives and exclude them from school, but that won’t keep Omicron out. What impact will it have to reduce Covid in schools remains to be seen. Typically screening asymptomatic kids is very low yield so it will be interesting to see what the positivity rate is while community levels of covid are extremely high (if we ever see the data).

[Anonymous]

Also curious about PP’s question on who is checking results at Deal (and Wilson). Sounds like a mess for the kids and for the staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you have recently had Covid and are past your 10 day isolation, but still test positive on the rapid test?

Then you shouldn’t be in school. You should be able to have a negative rapid test (not pcr) after recovering. If positive, you are still shedding virus.

NP. But that is absolutely not what 2 contact tracers, my PCP, and my kid’s pediatrician said. All four said rapid and PCR tests were inaccurate for up to 90 days after getting out of isolation.

Exactly what our pediatrician told us. They said they have been flooded with calls today. DCPS needs to issue guidance and clarification on this point. There are plenty of kids who tested positive, did their 10 day quarantine, have no symptoms and are fully recovered, but may still test positive for up to 90 days. And shouldn’t have to miss 3 months of school.

[Anonymous]

Those who wanted more testing….uh are you now complaining about the logistics of more testing?

[Anonymous]

Isn’t it easier to just go virtual for two weeks. How much teaching will happen if half the class is missing. And some teachers will be missing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you have recently had Covid and are past your 10 day isolation, but still test positive on the rapid test?

Then you shouldn’t be in school. You should be able to have a negative rapid test (not pcr) after recovering. If positive, you are still shedding virus.

NP. But that is absolutely not what 2 contact tracers, my PCP, and my kid’s pediatrician said. All four said rapid and PCR tests were inaccurate for up to 90 days after getting out of isolation.

Exactly what our pediatrician told us. They said they have been flooded with calls today. DCPS needs to issue guidance and clarification on this point. There are plenty of kids who tested positive, did their 10 day quarantine, have no symptoms and are fully recovered, but may still test positive for up to 90 days. And shouldn’t have to miss 3 months of school.

s a recently covid positive teacher this is also my concern

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t it easier to just go virtual for two weeks. How much teaching will happen if half the class is missing. And some teachers will be missing.

The privilege one must have to post such a thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you have recently had Covid and are past your 10 day isolation, but still test positive on the rapid test?

Then you shouldn’t be in school. You should be able to have a negative rapid test (not pcr) after recovering. If positive, you are still shedding virus.

NP. But that is absolutely not what 2 contact tracers, my PCP, and my kid’s pediatrician said. All four said rapid and PCR tests were inaccurate for up to 90 days after getting out of isolation.

Exactly what our pediatrician told us. They said they have been flooded with calls today. DCPS needs to issue guidance and clarification on this point. There are plenty of kids who tested positive, did their 10 day quarantine, have no symptoms and are fully recovered, but may still test positive for up to 90 days. And shouldn’t have to miss 3 months of school.

s a recently covid positive teacher this is also my concern

A PCR test will continue to be positive, a rapid test would not.

[Anonymous]

Test to stay would really help because the majority of kids will be constantly in quarantine as it now seems they are sending home entire classrooms each time there is a COVID case. Only about half the kids are vaccinated and would be able to stay. It is such a shame there is no test to stay when Fairfax and Montgomery county are doing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Test to stay would really help because the majority of kids will be constantly in quarantine as it now seems they are sending home entire classrooms each time there is a COVID case. Only about half the kids are vaccinated and would be able to stay. It is such a shame there is no test to stay when Fairfax and Montgomery county are doing it.

The teachers I know in FCPS and MCPS really wish they had what we are doing which is shocking/impressive.

More than half of kids are fully vaccinated. In my son’s class it’s at least 80% and that’s just from the parents I know.

Kids weren’t fully vaccinated, elementary school, in December so it was more chaotic. But they will be in Jan.

[Anonymous]

I picked up a test at a library yesterday and thought I was supposed to drop that off in the drop box? But if I do that on 1/4, how will I upload results by 1/5?

Or is that a separate thing and I should also go get one from the school on Monday to do at home and then take a picture and upload?

I swear I've been paying attention but am still confused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I picked up a test at a library yesterday and thought I was supposed to drop that off in the drop box? But if I do that on 1/4, how will I upload results by 1/5?

Or is that a separate thing and I should also go get one from the school on Monday to do at home and then take a picture and upload?

I swear I've been paying attention but am still confused.

Did you pick up a PCR or a rapid antigen test?

The rapid antigen tests don’t go in the drop boxes — those are for the PCRs, which take at least a couple of days to process and get results.

For 1/4, you should do a RAPID test on that day, take a picture of results, and then upload that.

[Anonymous]

So are there two kinds of tests available at libraries?

Would be helpful if someone who has actually gone through the library pick up rest could answer.