NAESP Statement on Biden-Harris Administration Increasing COVID-19 Testing in Schools
NAESP releases a statement in support of the Biden-Harris administration increasing COVID-19 testing in schools nationwide.
On Jan. 12, 2022, the White House released a fact sheet, “Biden-Harris Administration Increases COVID-19 Testing in Schools to Keep Students Safe and Schools Open,” that identifies new actions they’re taking to increase COVID-19 testing in schools.
NAESP Executive Director L. Earl Franks, Ed.D., CAE, offers the following statement on this announcement on behalf of NAESP: “Increasing access to COVID tests is welcome news to principals nationwide who are working tirelessly to keep their schools safely open for students and staff. The 10 million tests being delivered to schools across the country come at a critical time. As the Omicron variant has surged, schools must be well positioned with the necessary resources to implement screening testing and test-to-stay programs, which includes access to rapid and PCR tests.”
The fact sheet identifies the following actions:
- Sending 5 million no-cost point-of-care tests per month to schools;
- Providing 5 million additional lab-based PCR tests for free per month to schools;
- Deploying federal surge testing units to support free testing access for students, school staff, and families at community testing sites;
- Connecting schools with COVID-19 testing providers to set up school testing programs using American Rescue Plan funds; and
- Providing new training, resources, and materials for implementing test-to-stay in schools.
Read the full White House fact sheet on increased COVID-19 testing in schools.
