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