Keeping in-person classes open while under a “yellow zone” could prove to be a monumental task for schools across Erie County.
At issue is the new requirement for public and private schools to test 20% of their students and staff for Covid-19 each week.
The microcluster strategy and yellow zone designation announced Monday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was designed to fight community spread of Covid-19 without shutting down large sections of the state. But for schools, it is raising a lot of new questions:
Q: Why is testing such a problem for schools?
Schools say they don’t have the money, expertise or staffing to conduct that level of testing each week.
In fact, schools that administer these tests will need their medical director to approve and supervise the program, along with a license from the state, according to a spokeswoman from the Erie County Department of Health. Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said the state is expected to relax some regulations to allow schools to administer the tests.
Q: How many people would need to be tested?
Schools are required to test 20% of the students, teachers and staff who spend any time in school in person during the week – whether to attend classes or participate in sports or extracurricular activities.
Anyone who attends school fully remotely and does not come to school for sports or extracurricular activities does not need to be tested.
In Erie County, there are more than 46,000 students, teachers and staff who spend some time each week in the schools in the yellow zone. That means more than 9,000 people would need to be tested every week in order for all the schools to remain open, according to a Buffalo News analysis of the New York State Covid-19 Report Card.
Q: Can’t the county and state help?
The county said it can provide schools with a certain level of guidance, but it doesn’t have the capacity to help so many schools while still responsible for testing the general public. Meanwhile, Cuomo reiterated on Monday the state would deploy rapid result test kits to schools, but when and how many is unclear.
Kara Kane, a spokeswoman for the Erie County Health Department, said schools can make requests for tests directly to the state Health Department. “We do not know at this time which schools have made requests and for how many tests,” she said.
Q: Will my kid have a swab stuck six inches up her nose?
No. The test involves inserting a swab about an inch into each nostril.
In the Binghamton schools, which are also in a yellow zone, older students swab their own nose. Elementary school students are assisted by a medical professional.
Q: What will the testing look like?
Once a swab is used, it is mixed with chemicals and put into a card with a test strip. In about 15 minutes, the card indicates whether the test was positive or negative.
Q: Will parents have to pay for the testing?
No. The state will provide the tests, and the schools are to provide the staff.
Q: What happens if I don’t want my child to be tested?
The school can test your child only if you give your consent.
It is unclear at this point whether your child would still be allowed to attend classes in school – whether full time or just two days a week – if you do not consent to having them tested. The schools are awaiting clarification from the state on this point.
Q: Will my school go fully remote if testing is too difficult for districts?
Not necessarily. Schools and districts are waiting to learn exactly what is expected of them and what resources are available before deciding to continue in-person classes. Some may conclude it is too difficult to manage the logistics and the costs of administering the tests, while others may continue in-person classes and add testing to the weekly regimen.
Q: How long will schools have to test students and staff?
Testing of those who are in-person and in school will take place for as long as infection rates stay high and the yellow zone remains in effect.
The county executive said if infection rates continue to increase, it’s possible the areas could move into the more restrictive orange or red zones, which would require all schools to be fully remote. Other areas of the state that were designated yellow zones have been on the yellow zone list for four weeks.
“It’s going to be revisited on a weekly basis, but I don’t think people should just assume that next week we’re back to normal,” Poloncarz said.
