Wake schools send message to their employees: Please get tested ASAP for COVID-19
The Wake County system is encouraging all of its employees to get tested for COVID-19 “as soon as possible.”
In an email message Monday to employees, the Wake school system says staff should get tested for COVID-19 regardless of whether they have symptoms or have been exposed. The email says employees should schedule a test as soon as possible “to ensure you receive your test results before we return” for second-semester classes.
The email comes as North Carolina is seeing record levels of new coronavirus cases. Wake has suspended in-person learning but is scheduled to resume face-to-face classes on Jan. 20, when spring semester starts for many students.
“Testing now could help reduce potential spread from people who may have caught the virus but don’t have symptoms,” Edward McFarland, Wake’s chief academic officer, says in the email.
Wake is the largest school district in the state, with more than 157,000 students. The district has more than 19,000 employees and is one of the county’s largest employers. The tests are not being required though.
Free COVID testing available
The email tells employees that free COVID testing options are available across the state, including a link to testing sites. In addition, the email notes that COVID testing is also covered in the state health plan.
“If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, notify your principal or supervisor as soon as possible, stay home, and stay away from everyone else, including people who live in your household,” McFarland says in the email.
But even if an employee tests negative, McFarland says “it simply means you did not have COVID-19 on the day you were tested.” He says employees need to continue to practice the 3Ws: wear a face covering, wait apart to maintain social distancing and wash your hands regularly.
“State health officials are urging everyone to stay home except for essential activities and to avoid gatherings, especially indoors, with people who do not live with you,” McFarland writes. “WCPSS guidelines require you to stay home if you or a member of your household are sick.
“This collective effort will help ensure a strong and healthy start as we return to campus.”
Wake considers school plan
Even though Wake is only offering remote learning this week, high school students are showing up on campus to take state-required exams. The state says the exams must be taken in person.
“Today educators in Wake and other districts are being required to administer EOC exams in person,” N.C. Families For School Testing Reform tweeted Monday. “This is what we have fought against, and a reminder that we must keep pushing leaders to value lives over test scores.”
The school board has scheduled a special meeting for 3:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss whether to change next semester’s plan for restarting in-person instruction.
Currently, Wake plans to offer daily in-person classes for elementary school students and a mix of in-person and online classes for middle school and high school students. Only the 77,284 students in the Virtual Academy won’t have any in-person classes next semester.
Some school board members are concerned about how 4th and 5th-grade classes could have more than 30 students in them if daily in-person classes are offered.
Some educators say in-person instruction shouldn’t happen until school employees are vaccinated. Between Oct. 29 and Jan. 6, Wake says 284 employees and 226 students reported positive COVID results.
The Wake County Division of Public Health says that it will begin vaccinating people 75 and older on Jan. 19, The News & Observer previously reported.
Once that group is done, “frontline essential workers” such as school employees would be next for vaccinations. But it’s unclear when that stage will begin.
This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 2:01 PM.
