Schools in Los Angeles are launching Covid-19 testing and tracking program for all students and staff


Superintendent Austin Beutner said in a press release Sunday that the attempt was “unusual” but necessary to open schools safely.

“This will provide a public health benefit to the school community, as well as the greater Los Angeles area,” he said.

LAUSD is the second largest school district in the country with more than 600,000 students. The district is starting the new school year without classes in person, as Covid-19 remains widely distributed in California and the Los Angeles area.

Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Beutner said the test and tracking program simply followed science.

“Science has told us that children can carry the virus and those without symptoms can spread the virus, and we know that schools bring together many families and many multi-generational households,” he said. “If we want to keep schools from becoming a petri dish and we all want to keep the school community safe, we need to test and trace in schools.”

The hope, he said, is to build a foundation for when LAUSD schools are open to personal learning.

The testing and tracing program is part of a collaboration between LAUSD and scientists at UCLA, Stanford, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, testing experts and health companies Anthem Blue Cross and Health Net. The organizations will be part of a task force co-chaired by Beutner and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the release states.

Program was launched Monday

Adm. Brett Giroir, the test coordinator of the White House coronavirus, has stressed that testing is only one part of a comprehensive plan to stop the spread of coronavirus. People should also wear a mask, socially distance themselves from others and wash their hands, he said.

“Not only do we not recommend this strategy to test everyone on a regular basis, but I think it could install a false sense of security,” Giroir said Friday.

Beutner said Tuesday that he did not think the LAUSD program would give a false sense of security.

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“We will make sure our families understand and everyone in our school community understands the importance of safe distance and good health practices,” he said. “But let’s go back to March. The head of the World Health Organization told us all, if we want to control this virus we have to test, test, test, and that’s what we’ll do.”

Testing began Monday, the press release said. Employees working in schools along with their children participating in childcare provided by LAUSD were introduced to one of the first groups to be tested in the phase-out of the program.

According to the release, the goal for the early phase of the program is to establish a baseline. Eventually, all staff and students will be tested, followed by periodic tests, the district said.

LAUSD also plans to provide testing to households of staff and students who test positive as signs of symptoms.

The data collected from the survey will be available to the general public, the school system said in the announcement.

“Scientific studies underscore the need for a robust and consistent testing regime to keep students, faculty, staff and the wider community safe as we return to classrooms,” Duncan said. He will help coordinate with government agencies and ensure that “public policy implications are shared with the appropriate policy makers”, the release states.

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