How to get greater testing than 10%

[Anonymous]

Any thoughts on how we can increase the 10% testing that DCPS is planning to do? Other charters are 100% testing their student and staff population on a weekly basis. Why can DCPS not do the same? Who needs to be pressured?

[Anonymous]

How much is the 10-20% costing versus how much would more cost?

[Anonymous]

DCPS is a lot bigger than any charter, which makes the logistics harder -- that's a lot of tests to process. If you want more testing, you should let DCPS and the Mayor know.

[Anonymous]

it's far more important to get teachers (and other adults) vaccinated. kids are going to get covid, and they are going to be fine. the issue will be the unvaccinated adult morons who won't be fine if they get covid. it is scandalous how many adults in dc still aren't vaccinated.

[Anonymous]

Then they also need to implement test-to-stay for close contacts instead of quarantine. They should be doing this now, but they certainly should do it if they want to increase testing. If they did test-to-stay like other countries and even Utah, I will revoke my opt-out.

[Anonymous]

You could encourage parents at your school to utilize DC's "Test yourself" program and test their kid at home every week. That's what we intend to do. You can even get the test kits ahead of time and then you just drop them off in one of the drop boxes when you do it. It's free and really easy.

Is it as good as 100% testing of the entire population? No. But if you can get enough families willing to do it (and provide them with information on how to do it and how easy it is), then you could seriously impact the school's ability to track Covid. We are doing it for our peace of mind, but I also view it as a public service to the school community, so we know we aren't sending an asymptomatic kid to school and so we can report any positive test sooner than we might if we waited for symptoms or for the school to test (assuming we're in the 10% which I still don't know if we will be).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could encourage parents at your school to utilize DC's "Test yourself" program and test their kid at home every week. That's what we intend to do. You can even get the test kits ahead of time and then you just drop them off in one of the drop boxes when you do it. It's free and really easy.

Is it as good as 100% testing of the entire population? No. But if you can get enough families willing to do it (and provide them with information on how to do it and how easy it is), then you could seriously impact the school's ability to track Covid. We are doing it for our peace of mind, but I also view it as a public service to the school community, so we know we aren't sending an asymptomatic kid to school and so we can report any positive test sooner than we might if we waited for symptoms or for the school to test (assuming we're in the 10% which I still don't know if we will be).

Bonus to this is that families will test at home and not on the way into school. The charters with 100% testing every week are already struggling getting kids through the door. I'm sure they'll get better, but a volunteer home-test program means less work and logistics for the school. Yes, it relies on self reporting. But it's better than nothing.

[Anonymous]

The Binax tests are about $11 each. So if you need 500 tests/week, knowing there will be some opt-outs, I'd say if you could donate about $50k through your PTA, find a way to source that many rapid tests, and get a group of parent volunteers to help kids administer them, you could probably get through the next couple months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is a lot bigger than any charter, which makes the logistics harder -- that's a lot of tests to process. If you want more testing, you should let DCPS and the Mayor know.

LA is a bazillion times the size of DCPS and they are testing everyone weekly.

https://apple.news/AXxrlXqq-RzKOjqxfn9bjrA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could encourage parents at your school to utilize DC's "Test yourself" program and test their kid at home every week. That's what we intend to do. You can even get the test kits ahead of time and then you just drop them off in one of the drop boxes when you do it. It's free and really easy.

Is it as good as 100% testing of the entire population? No. But if you can get enough families willing to do it (and provide them with information on how to do it and how easy it is), then you could seriously impact the school's ability to track Covid. We are doing it for our peace of mind, but I also view it as a public service to the school community, so we know we aren't sending an asymptomatic kid to school and so we can report any positive test sooner than we might if we waited for symptoms or for the school to test (assuming we're in the 10% which I still don't know if we will be).

How do you do this? I know I can get at home covid tests at libraries/community centers, but I thought those had to be returned the same day you get the test kit. Is that what you plan to do? (I would love to test my child at home every week, just trying to figure out the logistics)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could encourage parents at your school to utilize DC's "Test yourself" program and test their kid at home every week. That's what we intend to do. You can even get the test kits ahead of time and then you just drop them off in one of the drop boxes when you do it. It's free and really easy.

Is it as good as 100% testing of the entire population? No. But if you can get enough families willing to do it (and provide them with information on how to do it and how easy it is), then you could seriously impact the school's ability to track Covid. We are doing it for our peace of mind, but I also view it as a public service to the school community, so we know we aren't sending an asymptomatic kid to school and so we can report any positive test sooner than we might if we waited for symptoms or for the school to test (assuming we're in the 10% which I still don't know if we will be).

How do you do this? I know I can get at home covid tests at libraries/community centers, but I thought those had to be returned the same day you get the test kit. Is that what you plan to do? (I would love to test my child at home every week, just trying to figure out the logistics)

You can pick them up whenever and just keep them at home. But then you have to register the test online, do the test, and drop it off at the library by 8 pm on the same day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Binax tests are about $11 each. So if you need 500 tests/week, knowing there will be some opt-outs, I'd say if you could donate about $50k through your PTA, find a way to source that many rapid tests, and get a group of parent volunteers to help kids administer them, you could probably get through the next couple months.

You need to do binax twice over 18 hours as per the insert in Order to consider it a negative test. That makes it $22.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Binax tests are about $11 each. So if you need 500 tests/week, knowing there will be some opt-outs, I'd say if you could donate about $50k through your PTA, find a way to source that many rapid tests, and get a group of parent volunteers to help kids administer them, you could probably get through the next couple months.

You need to do binax twice over 18 hours as per the insert in Order to consider it a negative test. That makes it $22.

That’s what they cost all of us shopping at CVS.

The cost to the DCPS for a large bulk purchase would be far cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Binax tests are about $11 each. So if you need 500 tests/week, knowing there will be some opt-outs, I'd say if you could donate about $50k through your PTA, find a way to source that many rapid tests, and get a group of parent volunteers to help kids administer them, you could probably get through the next couple months.

You need to do binax twice over 18 hours as per the insert in Order to consider it a negative test. That makes it $22.

That’s what they cost all of us shopping at CVS.

The cost to the DCPS for a large bulk purchase would be far cheaper.

The Shield T3 testing K-12 that DCPS (and it sounds like many charters) is doing costs $35/test processed, according to their website. https://www.shieldt3.com/k12/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Binax tests are about $11 each. So if you need 500 tests/week, knowing there will be some opt-outs, I'd say if you could donate about $50k through your PTA, find a way to source that many rapid tests, and get a group of parent volunteers to help kids administer them, you could probably get through the next couple months.

You need to do binax twice over 18 hours as per the insert in Order to consider it a negative test. That makes it $22.

That’s what they cost all of us shopping at CVS.

The cost to the DCPS for a large bulk purchase would be far cheaper.

The Shield T3 testing K-12 that DCPS (and it sounds like many charters) is doing costs $35/test processed, according to their website. https://www.shieldt3.com/k12/

And I'd imagine it is more expensive than binax because it is better.