WEBVTT - Schools Use COVID Tests to Keep Students in Classroom

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<v Speaker 1>It's Friday, November nine. I'm Oscar Ramires from the Daily

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<v Speaker 1>Dive podcast in Los Angeles, and this is reopening America.

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<v Speaker 1>COVID disruptions two classrooms continue to happen across the country,

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<v Speaker 1>but many schools are turning to testing over quarantine to

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<v Speaker 1>keep kids in class. Tests to Stay programs are screening

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<v Speaker 1>students regularly after exposure to known cases, rather than sending

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<v Speaker 1>them straight home. This allows them to remain in class

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<v Speaker 1>while they continue to test negative. Sabrina Sadiki white House,

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<v Speaker 1>reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins us for how

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<v Speaker 1>schools are finding ways to keep kids in classrooms. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for joining us, Sabrina, thanks for having me. I want

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<v Speaker 1>to talk about an interesting thing that's going on in

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<v Speaker 1>schools when it comes to COVID right now. Obviously we've

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<v Speaker 1>seen all the ups and downs and implementation of plans

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<v Speaker 1>and how it's been a really rocky time for schools.

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<v Speaker 1>I think this is the third academic year that we've

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<v Speaker 1>been kind of getting these COVID nineteen disruptions. But one

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<v Speaker 1>of the things that's been coming up that a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of places are having some success with is test to Stay.

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<v Speaker 1>So basically, before if somebody was exposed to somebody that

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<v Speaker 1>might have had COVID, everybody, all the students had to

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<v Speaker 1>go home, they had a quarantine for a period of time.

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<v Speaker 1>All that now some schools are doing daily testing, maybe

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<v Speaker 1>every other day, and if it's testing negative, you get

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<v Speaker 1>to stay in school, and it's kind of easing up

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<v Speaker 1>all the disruptions that are happening at least, So so

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<v Speaker 1>bring it tell us a little bit more about this.

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<v Speaker 1>As you point out, it's been really difficult for schools

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<v Speaker 1>to grapple with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. A

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<v Speaker 1>lot of schools across the country did not even fully

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<v Speaker 1>reopen until this fall, a couple of months ago. So

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<v Speaker 1>many schools have actually been closed for a year and

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<v Speaker 1>a half. And those schools that have opened, whether prior

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<v Speaker 1>to this particular academic year or during, have still grappled

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<v Speaker 1>with how do we test kids, how do we keep

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<v Speaker 1>them safe? And we'll probably how do we avoid continued disruptions.

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<v Speaker 1>But so test this day is effectively, as you said,

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<v Speaker 1>a way to shorten quarantine period for students who have

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<v Speaker 1>not actually test too positive for coronavirus but simply been

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<v Speaker 1>exposed to someone in the school who tested positive. And

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<v Speaker 1>as you said, over the law, schools that earlier we're

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<v Speaker 1>doing was abiding by these guidelines where students just had

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<v Speaker 1>to quarantine for anywhere from seven to ten days simply

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<v Speaker 1>because they had been exposed. Whereas now this is giving

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<v Speaker 1>students the option to stay in school if they've been exposed,

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<v Speaker 1>so long as they test daily or regularly and test negative.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think some teachers in school districts we've talked

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<v Speaker 1>to just say it's prevented continued disruptions. You know, quarantines

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<v Speaker 1>have been really traumatic for parents, students, teachers alike. So

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<v Speaker 1>it's giving kids a chance to stay in the classroom,

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<v Speaker 1>which is so important, right, I mean, everybody agrees that

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<v Speaker 1>having kids in the classroom is of the utmost importance

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<v Speaker 1>with all of this. And as we mentioned before that, right,

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<v Speaker 1>so if you were exposed, students were sent home, they

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<v Speaker 1>can return after seven days if they tested negative on

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<v Speaker 1>day five, or they had to do a full ten

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<v Speaker 1>days if they weren't going to get tested at all.

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<v Speaker 1>So huge disruption on that front. And then you know,

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<v Speaker 1>doing the remote learning just added complexities to all of that.

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<v Speaker 1>And as you mentioned too, you know a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>these schools were barely implementing new programs, so even something

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<v Speaker 1>like Tests to Stay has been rolled out unevenly across

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<v Speaker 1>school boards and school districts. It's interesting because you have

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<v Speaker 1>sort of mixed views among school districts about what they

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<v Speaker 1>want to see from the federal government in terms of guidance.

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<v Speaker 1>The CDC obviously does have guidance for schools, and so

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<v Speaker 1>far they have not formally endorsed Tests to Stay. They've

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<v Speaker 1>kept with the previous guidance you were talking about that

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<v Speaker 1>if students are exposed they should quarantine for seven to

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<v Speaker 1>ten days. They could test out sooner on day five.

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<v Speaker 1>But you know, as they said that, you know, local

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<v Speaker 1>school districts can make certain decisions of course on their own.

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<v Speaker 1>Now you have some people who say they wish the

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<v Speaker 1>Test to Stay would be endorsed by the CDC because

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<v Speaker 1>it would limit quarantined periods and also it would create

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<v Speaker 1>a federal standard. But having said that, there are other

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<v Speaker 1>schools that say, the school districts are dealing with very

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<v Speaker 1>localized populations, different problems, different challenges, different sets of resources.

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<v Speaker 1>Some of them can afford to do this testing daily

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<v Speaker 1>or regularly. School districts are really Hamstrong when it comes

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<v Speaker 1>to resources, and they might not have the funding in

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<v Speaker 1>place to be testing kids on a daily basis. So

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<v Speaker 1>some people say they're actually happy that the federal governments

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<v Speaker 1>stayed out their business and they'd rather do what works

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<v Speaker 1>for them. But I think what you're finding is even

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<v Speaker 1>a year and a happened to the pandemic, and as

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<v Speaker 1>you point out, the third consecutive academic year, what we're

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<v Speaker 1>dealing with the backdrop of coronavirus. It's just been very

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<v Speaker 1>uneven across the country, and a lot of school districts

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<v Speaker 1>are just trying to essentially make it up as they

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<v Speaker 1>go along. Now, we've seen a lot of push back

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<v Speaker 1>and back and forth when it comes to parents and

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<v Speaker 1>their views on what should be happening in the schools.

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<v Speaker 1>Have there been in your reaction to at least this,

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<v Speaker 1>because obviously you can keep the kids in school longer,

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<v Speaker 1>that's all great, but now you add this layer of

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<v Speaker 1>now you have to test daily or every other day.

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<v Speaker 1>Has there been any reaction or pushback from parents? You know?

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<v Speaker 1>I thought that some parents were very supportive of it

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<v Speaker 1>because their children were just so tired of staying home

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<v Speaker 1>and the parents were struggling with having to have their

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<v Speaker 1>kids at home because you know a lot of people

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<v Speaker 1>are also back work. Some of the flexibility that was

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<v Speaker 1>their own a pandemic isn't there for everyone, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>just disruptive. And now at the same time, when I

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<v Speaker 1>talk to the school, there's one want to the school

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<v Speaker 1>districts they are still dealing with, even with something like tests,

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<v Speaker 1>to stay differing views around testing. You know, there's still

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of parents who don't like any of these

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<v Speaker 1>COVID protocols and don't want to have to test their kids.

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<v Speaker 1>They may not want to test them at all, let

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<v Speaker 1>alone on the regular basis. And then it's also logistically

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<v Speaker 1>complicated sometimes to receive a call at night saying, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>your kid was a close contact. If you wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>test the state, come in tomorrow morning at seven, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>and have your kids tested and do that for the

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<v Speaker 1>next five days or seven days on a daily basis.

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<v Speaker 1>That means parents have to adjust their work schedules, and

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<v Speaker 1>you know there's a commuting factor putting your kid through

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<v Speaker 1>a test every day, So you know, it's kind of mixed,

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<v Speaker 1>I would say, but I do think more broadly, what

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<v Speaker 1>you're hearing from the majority of parents is that they

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<v Speaker 1>want their kids to be in school, and they want

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<v Speaker 1>their kids to be learning in person, and they want

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<v Speaker 1>to do that however is possible and as safely as possible.

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<v Speaker 1>I think the one question mark I would in now

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<v Speaker 1>is there's not enough data, and this is why the

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<v Speaker 1>CDC hasn't formally endorsed it. There's just not enough data

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<v Speaker 1>yet to know if it tests to say is potentially

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<v Speaker 1>causing more outbreaks at schools. So far, there hasn't been

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<v Speaker 1>any definitive example where tests say has been linked to

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<v Speaker 1>a major outbreak, but of course you know there is

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<v Speaker 1>a potential for false negatives. They're using rapid tests for

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<v Speaker 1>this program primarily, so that's one question mark. And what

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<v Speaker 1>we'll see down the road is if the data support

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<v Speaker 1>that this is in fact as safe and effective as

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<v Speaker 1>you know, the model that had been in place prior

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<v Speaker 1>with the longer quarantine periods. There is a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>of data though that suggests that it has saved school

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<v Speaker 1>days so far this year for some students that would

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<v Speaker 1>have otherwise been quarantined. I think out of Massachusetts we

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<v Speaker 1>got some numbers. Yes, So in Massachusetts, Tests to Stay

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<v Speaker 1>has saved eighty five thousand school days this year for

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<v Speaker 1>students who would have otherwise been in quarantine, according to

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<v Speaker 1>the state's Department of Education, which put out a report.

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<v Speaker 1>I think over there there are about schools that have

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<v Speaker 1>signed up for testing programs which include tests. Say they're

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<v Speaker 1>not all tests to stay, but you know, it also

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<v Speaker 1>require some resources from the state to stand up that program.

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<v Speaker 1>So Governor Charlie Baker, who is a Republican, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>he had to activate the National Guard to go in

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<v Speaker 1>and help with COVID nineteen testing in K through twelve

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<v Speaker 1>schools because there weren't enough staff members there to conduct

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<v Speaker 1>those tests. So there's a resources question, I think for

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of places whether or not they can stand

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<v Speaker 1>up a program like Tests to Stay, But it is

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<v Speaker 1>without question saving school days. I mean, there was one

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<v Speaker 1>parent I talked to for a nine year old in

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<v Speaker 1>Marietta City Schools in Georgia, and she's in third grade,

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<v Speaker 1>and she was a close contact and the prospect of

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<v Speaker 1>being home for another ten days, up to ten days

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<v Speaker 1>was really daunting for a kid who's already been home

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<v Speaker 1>for a greater part of the school year during COVID.

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<v Speaker 1>So she was able to actually to test to stay

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<v Speaker 1>and stay in class, and all those tests came out negative,

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<v Speaker 1>and her father was saying, it's just important to get

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<v Speaker 1>that social interaction right now and to also have consistency

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<v Speaker 1>for kids who have actually suffered a great deal of

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<v Speaker 1>learning loss. You know, there's a lot of studies showing

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<v Speaker 1>the loss of learning over time because of COVID, and

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<v Speaker 1>that's something that kids across the country are going to

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<v Speaker 1>be making up for months and years to come. Sabrina

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<v Speaker 1>Sadiki White House reporter at the Wall Street Journal, thank

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<v Speaker 1>you very much for joining us. Thank you so much.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Oscar Ramirez and this has been reopening America. Don't

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<v Speaker 1>forget effort today's big news stories. You can check me

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<v Speaker 1>out on the Daily Dive podcast every Monday to Friday.

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<v Speaker 1>So follow us on my Heart Radio or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>get your podcast