Bombshell: Charlottesville City Schools planning random group/individual COVID testing for students and staff

An August 12 email from Charlottesville City Schools (CCS) Community Relations Coordinator Beth Cheuk to all CCS staff contained a bombshell revelation:

Possible Regular COVID Testing at Schools for Staff and Students

We are hoping to participate in a state program for regular COVID testing throughout this school year as an additional strategy to promote safety. The tests would be pooled (or grouped); if the group test is positive, the individuals in the group would be tested further. We are awaiting details from the VDOE and will keep you and families posted.

The officious testing scheme has not been finalized, nor has its possibility been conveyed to CCS parents, many of whom are still deciding whether to send their children back to government schools.

Almost certainly, some parents would withdraw students from CCS should invasive random testing be implemented, which likely is why the schools have not publicly revealed their ploy.

The entirety of Cheuk’s email to staff is copied below:

From: Beth Cheuk
Date: Thu, Aug 12, 2021 at 3:42 PM
Subject: HR Updates Relating to COVID
To: All_CCS_Staff

Dear staff–

Attached please find some updates from Human Resources related to COVID.

Topics are: Form about COVID vaccines and annual agreement to screen daily for symptoms Possible Regular COVID Testing at Schools for Staff and Students

Reminder about Quarantine Practices
Staff Leave when Quarantine/Isolation is Required
Public Questions about Your Vaccination Status
COVID-19 Proof-of-Vaccination and
Agreement to Daily Screen

As you may recall, last week, the School Board voted to require Cville Schools staff to be vaccinated for COVID-19 or to complete weekly COVID testing.

Here are some of the details of how we will accomplish this. Please fill out this form ASAP or by August 16. The form contains: An agreement to do a daily self-screening for symptoms and risk factors using this screening tool.

Question about vaccination status Fully vaccinated staff: Upload a photo or scan of your vaccination card using the form. To download replacement vaccination documentation, click here.

Partly vaccinated or unvaccinated staff: Find walk-in vaccination clinics here. Staff who show proof of first vaccine by 8/16; others will need to submit their first proof of negative COVID test by 8/20. Staff who are not fully vaccinated by 9/20 will need to do weekly testing and share results with principal/supervisor.

Staff who need medical or other exemption from vaccination: Please upload documentation or check with your supervisor.

Plan to be tested weekly (outside of school hours) and submit results to your supervisor starting 8/20 and throughout the school year. If you do not wish to upload a photo of your vaccine card or exemption documentation, a copy can be shown/given to your principal or supervisor.

Possible Regular COVID Testing at Schools for Staff and Students

We are hoping to participate in a state program for regular COVID testing throughout this school year as an additional strategy to promote safety. The tests would be pooled (or grouped); if the group test is positive, the individuals in the group would be tested further. We are awaiting details from the VDOE and will keep you and families posted.

Quarantine Practices (Reminder) As we reminded you last week, we continue to follow the CDC’s guidelines about quarantine following exposure. Unvaccinated individuals need to quarantine for 14 days after exposure. Vaccinated people who are symptom-free do not need to quarantine after exposure, but they should monitor for developing symptoms. The CDC does recommend that vaccinated people get tested 3-5 days after an exposure. Staff Leave when Quarantine/Isolation is Required Due to protective measures such as staff-wide vaccination, universal masking, 2020-21 upgrades to ventilation, and more, we hope that our staff will have a reduced need to quarantine.

Even so, here are the leave protocols for contracted and regularly scheduled staff: If the staff member is vaccinated, currently quarantine is not required. If a vaccinated staff member needs leave to care for their child on quarantine, the paid leave will not count against their sick leave balance. If the vaccinated staff member is diagnosed with COVID, the paid leave will not count against your sick leave balance. Staff members with an approved vaccine exemption and who are following weekly testing protocols can access the benefits described above for vaccinated staff.

If the staff member is not vaccinated and does not have an approved exemption, then the leave will come from the individual’s sick time. Remember, vaccination keeps all of us safer, including those who share our households.

Public Questions about Your Vaccination Status

Asking people about their COVID vaccination status is becoming more commonplace. If CCS employees are asked about another employee’s status, the response will be, “We will not disclose an individual’s status. However, the School Board has required that all school employees become vaccinated. The vast majority of our staff are already vaccinated. For the small number that will have a medical or other exemption, they will be tested weekly.”

If you are asked directly about your own status, you can repeat the above statement or answer honestly, depending on your preference. Questions? If you have questions about these items, please check with your supervisor/principal or a human resources representative.

Beth Beth L. Cheuk (she/hers)
Coordinator of Community Relations and Development
Charlottesville City Schools