VOL 2, ISSUE 1
7 September 2021The latest updates on COVID-19, testing, and vaccines curated for L2R school districts.
New L2R Testing Vendors
Explore our expanded menu of testing options
We offer a range of solutions to meet your testing needs. Whether you are launching a program this school year or looking to expand your current strategies, Learn to Return testing vendors are ready to work with you.
All vendors are vetted and approved by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and provide solutions for diagnostic, screening, and pooled testing models.
Visit our L2R Testing Menu to learn about our new vendors and each type of test available for L2R schools.
Multiple vendors for every testing strategy
Faster turnaround time for swab-and-send models
Individual PCR, rapid antigen, & pooled testing options
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Funding Now Available for Staff
Hire additional staff or reimburse those supporting school-based testing programs!
You and your staff go above and beyond to deliver COVID-19 testing and support services to your school community. You can now reimburse staff for time dedicated to this essential work or hire additional personnel to focus on testing programs and related activities like contact tracing and communications.
Your is ready to help you draft a budget and submit your request to the Washington State DOH. Note that funding only covers activities related to COVID-19 testing or mitigation programs.
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SIMPLEREPORT FOR RAPID ANTIGEN TESTING
Learn how to quickly onboard this web-based reporting tool for your district
All L2R schools offering rapid antigen tests must start reporting results with SimpleReport for the upcoming school year. SimpleReport is a free, online platform developed by the CDC that automates the registration and reporting processes for schools using rapid antigen tests.
Important:
Each district must create one central account and add participating “testing facilities” or schools within that account.
Districts should appoint one representative to administer the account.
Each district is provided with a safe, secure results database.
Results will be rapid – within in 15-20 minutes. All results must be entered into SimpleReport within 24 hours of sample collection.
Participants can pre-register for tests using an online link generated by the platform and opt-in to receive automated results via text or email.
Review the Simple Report Onboarding Toolkit to get started or reach out to your for more assistance.
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DELTA RESEARCH
The Delta Variant and Schools
Learn the latest about the delta variant and school re-openings with this list of podcasts and articles.
How To Keep Your Kids Safe From the Delta Variant
Life Kit Podcast from NPR
August 29, 2021 – 12 min
The Education Lost to the Pandemic
The Daily from the New York Times
September 1, 2021 – 26:00 min
When will the Delta surge end?
The New York Times, September 1, 2021
Is the delta surge beginning to slow in the United States? Or is the variant putting the country on course for months of bumps and valleys?
CDC sees large-scale COVID-19 outbreaks at schools not following safety guidelines, asks them to "Do the right thing"
Forbes, August 27, 2021
90,000. That’s approximately how many students across 19 states that have had to quarantine or isolate this school year due to being exposed to Covid-19.
Educating K–12 students amid COVID-19: The parental perspective
McKinsey & Company, July 27, 2021
Based on a survey conducted in June 2021, this interactive article explores how parents feel about their children’s academic performance during the past school year, specifically related to the shift to virtual learning, and reveals some of the factors influencing parents’ decisions regarding their children’s return to in-person school this fall.
COVID-19 Projections for K12 Schools in Fall 2021: Significant Transmission without Interventions
medRxiv, September 3, 2021
Universal masking can reduce student infections by 26-78%, and biweekly testing along with masking reduces infections by another 50%.
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