Schools are trying to carry on this semester with as few outbreaks and interruptions as possible, but political maneuvering continues behind the scenes.
Schools are still being urged to reach out to the state for testing supplies, or apply for grants to add personnel to support covid response. It’s all individual.
At Carver Elementary in Maplewood teachers can voluntarily take saliva tests home every two weeks, demonstrate themselves on zoom taking the test and bring the samples back to be collected the next day.
Monday the school rolled out over the counter Binax rapid tests useful for symptomatic students.
“Our goal is to expand on that with the resources provided by the state, by the department of education so that at some point we can get a rapid test in every family’s hands when they need one so that our kids are back in school, our parents can be back at work and they can be out in the community participating in activities, doing the things they love,” Kelly Ayd, the Health Services Supervisor for the district, said.
Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) says he hopes that with the increase of production, rapid tests can be more available at the local pharmacy.
But while Carver Elementary and others like it try to expand their testing supplies, the back-and-forth continues. Walz Wednesday pushed back against criticism about recommendations he submitted to the legislature regarding COVID response.
Walz said five of his seven suggestions including testing or vaccination requirements for teachers came directly from leaders in schools, hospitals and long term care facilities. Republicans have criticized it as “moving the goalposts” but Walz said they haven’t been helping.
“I get it,” Walz said. “You don’t like this plan. What is yours? Doing nothing kills people.Doing nothing shuts down buildings.”
Walz said he has no plans to reinstate a peacetime emergency which is why he must go through the legislature for requests.