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COVID-19 Testing in Schools Why It Matters and How to Advocate for It
NEA believes that all schools, especially in communities with substantial or high rates of COVID-19, should have in place screening testing to help stop the spread of COVID-19. And there are resources for it! Federal funding that we fought to get for our schools includes programs for free COVID-19 testing. This site is designed to help encourage screening testing at the school level, identify resources for screening testing, and encourage labor-management engagement on this crucial topic.
Screening COVID-19 testing, sometimes called asymptomatic testing, involves testing everyone, or more likely, a randomly selected sample of individuals in a group. Screening testing is intended to identify infections in people with no known exposure who are asymptomatic or have not yet developed symptoms. NEA recognizes that screening testing programs in schools can be complex, including requiring adjustments to school routines, work duties, and schedules.
Make sure to check out screening testing materials from the Rockefeller Foundation, including a very helpful start-up guide, in the section on additional resources below. CDC also recognizes the role test-to-stay strategies—an approach to testing that combines contact tracing and repeated testing of asymptomatic people--can play in keeping students who have been exposed to COVID-19 in school instead of quarantine. For more information, see the section below on steps to reduce the burden of quarantine.
NEA Advocacy – Expanded Testing Support for Schools
On January 12, 2022, the White House announced expanded resources to support school-based testing, including 10 million more tests and deploying federal surge testing units for students, educators, and families. The White House fact sheet on the new initiative provides more detail. See below, “What resources are available to support testing in schools?” for information on the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) agreement and Operation Expanded Testing (ET) program through which the federal government makes school tests available. Schools are also encouraged to use existing American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds to implement and expand testing programs. Note that these ARPA funds can also be used for personnel costs related to testing and other demands of COVID-19, as well as for paid sick leave for staff who must isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 infection or exposure.
Free school COVID-19 testing programs
![Student in Mask Taking a Test](https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/styles/1530x1224/public/2021-03/Masked_Student_taking_test.png?itok=OAwH6wlo)
Demand COVID Testing
CDC Resources
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Operation Expanded Testing
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School Testing for COVID-19
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Testing Strategies for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools
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Interim Guidance for Pool Testing
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Funding Support for Screening Testing to Keep Schools Operating Safely
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Open and Safe Schools
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Get Vaccinated!
NEA Updates
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NEA Strongly Supports Biden Administration’s New COVID-19 Vaccine-or-Test Requirements
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NEA announces support for educator vaccine and testing requirement
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NEA President: Vaccine and Testing Requirements 'Appropriate, Responsible, and Necessary'
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