Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1419056
tests regardless of their vaccination status, and the district provides testing sites on school campuses. In other districts, testing is less convenient. "Our district is currently trying to contract with an on-site testing company to make it easier for our students and families to test, instead of looking around and attempting to make appointments for tests in the commu- nity," says Berlin in San Jose. In San Diego Unified School District, stu- dent testing frequency seems to depend on socioeconomic factors. "Schools with higher levels of poverty tested far fewer students than low-poverty schools," asserts a Sept. 16 report by Voice of San Diego. " S chool s in th e most high-in- c om e areas in th e di strict t est ed on avera ge 99 stud ents and staff members last week. Schools in the lowest-income areas tested more than three times less, just 30 on average." The biggest challenges for Murrieta are c ont a ct tra cin g an d n oti f y in g t ea ch ers when a student in their class tests posi- tive, says Binning Chevlin, adding that the situation has been exacerbated by a "great deal of infighting" between vaccinated and unvaccinat ed staf f. " Employees are not aware of how to report an absence due to COVID symptoms. All along that spectrum, there is confusion as to how to report and when to report." ere has been similar confusion in San Lorenzo, says Rosa. " They did not have a plan for who would oversee the COVID-19 reporting email system, the contact tracing, or reporting to the county health department. ey thought the nurses would continue to do the work this year. ey didn't "We've had entire classrooms quarantined [and temporarily] go back to virtual instruction. The additional hours teachers put in to create packets of work and make themselves available is just overwhelming." —Laura Finco, president of San Ramon Valley Education Association 30 cta.org Marissa Glidden, pre-pandemic, reads to her class. She is president of United Teachers of Richmond, whose members answered the questions in the graphics below. Joy Schnapper Feature