Just days after beginning a new Covid-19 testing regimen, some schools have already exhausted their supplies of rapid antigen tests.
Vermont schools are running out of rapid Covid tests
Author: Peter D'Auria
Peter D’Auria covers education for VTDigger. Prior to moving to Vermont, he worked for The Jersey Journal, The Chilkat Valley News and Willamette Week. He is originally from Portland, Oregon.
Vermont is no longer collecting school Covid data
Since the beginning of the school year, state officials have maintained a list of Covid-19 cases in K-12 schools. That list is no longer being updated.
As Vermont public schools shift to ‘test-at-home’ procedures, independent schools are told to wait
State officials told public schools this week to begin the transition to a new Covid-19 testing system. But officials said independent schools should continue to do what they are doing.
Shortage of rapid tests shuts down school district in Randolph area
The Orange Southwest school district received a “large shipment” of rapid Covid-19 tests Monday, the superintendent said. By Wednesday, only 14 remained.
Vermont students are missing thousands of days of class. Nobody knows how many yet.
Amid Covid-19 outbreaks, staffing shortages and behavioral problems, Vermont’s students are likely out of class more than ever before.
Vermont will begin tracking school closures, distributing ‘take-home’ rapid tests to schools
The moves, outlined by Secretary of Education Dan French in a Tuesday email to local officials, come as the state is working toward an overhaul of its Covid-19 testing procedures in schools.
Vermont schools should plan to stop contact tracing, change testing procedures, state officials say
In a Friday evening email, Secretary of Education Dan French told local school officials to halt contact tracing and PCR testing ahead of a formal announcement next week.
‘A pretty serious crisis’: Students and staff return to school closures, surging cases and expired tests
Amid record-shattering Covid-19 case counts after the holiday break, Vermont schools are buckling under the strain of keeping students in class.
State senator introduces bill to remove religious exemption for vaccine mandates
A bill sponsored by Sen. Brian Campion, D-Bennington, would eliminate religious exemptions for children requiring vaccinations in schools. It faces an uncertain future in the Statehouse.
Vermont officials distributed only about half of nearly 90,000 test kits set aside for students
State officials intended to distribute 87,000 rapid Covid test kits for students before they returned to school after the holiday break. Only about half made it to parents.
State plans to shake up school Covid-19 testing processes
Under new guidance expected in early 2022, officials said they plan to recommend that parents — not school staff — administer Covid-19 tests to students. But few other details on the plan were available.
Essex-Westford school board member draws backlash for Holocaust comparison
Liz Cady, a member of the Essex-Westford school board, prompted criticism for an essay that drew parallels between the discourse around unvaccinated people and Jews during World War II.
Many Vermont school districts hold off on Covid vaccine mandates for staff
With a federal mandate snarled in litigation, only about a third of Vermont’s districts and supervisory unions require their staff to be vaccinated or else tested weekly.
Hospitals and schools brace for Covid-19 surge driven by holidays and Omicron
State officials say Vermont could see 600 to 1,000 new Covid-19 cases a day after the holidays, threatening health care and education systems that are already stretched thin.
