By Eleanor Love, News and Sports Editor
As of January 3 the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) had about 500 reported COVID cases, according to Communications Manager Al Goldberg. Those who tested positive are now in quarantine.
The district supplied around 38,000 take-home tests to staff and students before and during winter break. Elementary schools were prioritized in distribution to ensure that younger students ineligible for the vaccine received tests. Some high schools like C.K. McClatchy did not receive enough tests to supply its entire student population.
Approximately 20,000 test results were submitted to the Primary Health website portal. Considering these numbers, 1 in every 40 reported test results were positive.
Students and families may access the district’s “Reopening Dashboard” website, which provides information and graphics about the district’s overall vaccination rates among students and staff, as well as breakdowns by grade level and school site. The “COVID-19 Dashboard” section of the website (the third section) provides information on positive tests and quarantines in the district and by school. However it does not reflect the number of students and staff who tested positive over winter break and stayed home to quarantine – it only reflects those who came to school and tested positive.
SCUSD has currently made no indication that its schools will return to online learning. When asked if the district may consider virtual learning amidst the Omicron surge, Goldberg stated “SCUSD and our schools are working hard to provide testing, vaccine clinics, and contact tracing so we can keep our schools open for in-person instruction. We continue to monitor our case rates and public health guidance to be sure that we are operating safely as possible.”