ATLANTA — Atlanta Public Schools will make COVID-19 surveillance testing mandatory for staff starting Tuesday.
Teachers will be tested for the virus twice a week, according to the school district’s announced in late August.
“Surveillance testing will allow us to keep up our momentum of quality, in-person learning and minimize the risk for everyone. Even if you are fully vaccinated, or have no symptoms, you may unknowingly expose others to the COVID-19 virus,” said APS Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring. “Frequent surveillance testing can help protect your students, colleagues and your loved ones at home. It is the best tool available to detect asymptomatic carriers.”
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Officials said 81.4% of employees who responded to a survey said they are fully vaccinated. Since July 14, 189 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. Of those, 50.3% were vaccinated and 49.7% were not.
APS said the reason for mandatory testing includes the fact that the district has 20,012 students under age 12 enrolled in traditional schools. Children under 12 cannot get vaccinated yet.
“I want to thank our teachers and all of our employees for all that they are doing to keep our students and their fellow colleagues safe,” Herring said. “Their commitment to masking up, physical distancing, being vaccinated, and following our safety protocols all make a difference in ensuring our environment is safe. Mandatory twice-weekly surveillance testing will now make our school even safer.”
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The district said it is prepared to pivot to a virtual instructional platform should the need arise.
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