By Daniella Silva -
NBC News
In the midst of the wave of infections fueled by the omicron variant, school districts across the country are pushing to keep classes open next week, when students are scheduled to return from winter break.
Officials from the nation's largest school system, New York City, announced Tuesday that they will duplicate COVID-19 testing in schools and test all students - asymptomatic or out-of-date. exposed to the virus, vaccinated or not vaccinated.
On the other hand, they will distribute home antigen tests to families in the face of the rapid spread of the coronavirus, which is breaking record infections in the city and state every day.
Students at a Los Angeles school covering their mouths and noses with a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.Jae C. Hong / AP
City officials "strongly encourage" all eligible students to get vaccinated, urging both students and staff members to take a test before resuming classes on Monday.
"By doubling down on COVID-19 testing in schools, getting our students vaccinated, and sending students, teachers, and staff home with [rapid antigen] test kits, we can keep everyone healthy and finish this year. school with force, "said the mayor, Bill de Blasio, in a statement.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who is scheduled to be sworn in on Saturday, spoke along the same lines.
"The numbers speak for themselves: their children are safer in school. Thanks to tests, vaccines and home test kits, we will continue like this," he said.
[Slightly Less Sensitive, But Very Helpful: Everything You Need To Know About Home Antigen Testing]
Home antigen tests will be distributed to classrooms if students test positive and students will take two tests over the course of seven days.
Those who are asymptomatic and test negative will be able to return to school the next day.
This strategy is consistent with the one announced by the government of President Joe Biden in early December: instead of ordering mandatory quarantines for unvaccinated students who are direct contacts of infected classmates, they will be able to continue going to school if they test negative. of antigens at least twice during the week after exposure.
Experts insist that following classes at a distance harms minors socially, emotionally and academically.
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"We have to make sure that our students have access to full-time face-to-face learning," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told MSNBC.
"I think they have suffered quite a bit this year and a half and the good news is that we know what to do. We have the tools to make sure that vaccination is available to all students," he added.
Washington, DC public school students and staff will be required to submit negative COVID-19 test results before returning to school on Wednesday.
Families must enter negative test results on a website.
[CDC concludes that vaccinating children is safe and necessary and FDA is preparing to approve booster for more minors]
If students show symptoms or must be quarantined because they are not vaccinated and have been close positive contacts, they should stay home regardless of test results, the school district warned.
Students who test positive should contact their schools and follow local guidelines on isolation.
The school district also said that it expects some schools will have to move to virtual learning "throughout the semester, especially in the coming weeks."
Schools that are forced to adopt this method will maintain it for a maximum of 10 calendar days, the district said.
Rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 Rebecca Blackwell / AP
The Washington Teachers Union said that as many students and staff as possible should be screened weekly with PCR or antigen testing.
In parallel, it demands that KN95 masks be distributed, lunches served outdoors and that COVID-19 sick leave be offered.
On the other hand, several New Jersey school districts announced a temporary return to distance learning for early January.
The one in Paterson, one of the largest in the state, announced that students will return from winter break to distance learning from January 4-18.
[WHO warns of a tsunami of COVID-19 infections two years after its appearance]
Other districts in the state that will also do their distance classes in early January include New Brunswick, Camden, Irvington and South Orange-Maplewood, as well as five districts in Hudson County.
Seattle Public Schools plans to remain in-person on Monday, the day classes resume, although "they are also preparing for the possibility that some classrooms, and perhaps some schools, may have to switch to online education at some point. from January".
The Los Angeles Unified School District said negative test results will not be necessary for students and staff members to return in person on January 10, but will require baseline testing, regardless of immunization status, during the first week back from winter break.