Superintendent: Pooled testing the right approach for Roosevelt schools

As Arizona parents and families have gotten back to school, one thing educators don’t want them to have to worry about is the health and safety of their kids in the classroom. That is why we at Roosevelt School District are so optimistic about the newly approved pooled-testing program for COVID-19.

Pooled testing is an approach to screening entire classrooms of students at one time for COVID-19, reducing costs and providing a more efficient, high-level look at infection and transmission rates so teachers and educators can make smarter, more informed public health decisions. Essentially, students are given nasal swabs that they use on themselves to collect individual samples that are then “pooled” together and tested using a single COVID-19 test.

If one of these tests comes back negative, then class continues as normal and all is well. Only if a test comes back positive would further actions need to be taken by schools to identify which student or students were responsible for the positive result, at which point they could be tested individually and isolated to avoid transmitting the virus any further.

This holistic approach ensures two things — first, it protects our communities from outbreaks and prevents transmission of COVID-19 to households with vulnerable family members who may not be eligible to receive the vaccine. Second, it helps us ensure that when schools reopen their doors, they are not forced to close them again as a result of an outbreak that impacts the entire student population.

No one wants a repeat of 2020, when all students were forced to learn remotely, and families’ schedules were interrupted as a result — least of all, working parents who already have so much on their plate. Pooled testing helps minimize the possibility of that happening again.

What’s more, it’s effective. Similar programs to the one we are adopting at Roosevelt have already rolled out in major cities and states across the country. This approach, which relies on regular, weekly testing of asymptomatic students, is also the same methodology the NBA used last year to get players back on the courts in record time. Now, it’s time to leverage the program to protect our students and give Arizona parents greater peace of mind.

Any parents who may be wondering about the potential cost implications of this program should know that it costs the school district nothing to implement — meaning it will be free to students who opt-in to the program. Existing federal funds already cover the program’s costs, making this the ultimate win-win in the fight to prevent the spread of COVID-19 efficiently and cost-effectively.

Parents and educators all want the same thing when school resumes: for students to be as safe and healthy as possible so they may continue the in-person instruction that is so critical to learning. Along with other precautions, pooled testing will help facilitate a safer, more protected return to the classroom for Roosevelt’s students and families alike.

Editor’s note: Quintin Boyce is superintendent of Roosevelt School District in Phoenix.