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Elk Grove school staff must verify COVID vaccination status or register for weekly testing

Across the district, there were a total of 344 cases of COVID-19 in September. Of those, 319 cases were students and 25 cases were staff, according to the dashboard.

ELK GROVE, Calif. — Update:

Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) will have 11 COVID19 clinics located at each comprehensive high school, as well as two additional clinics at the district office and Gerber Road office.

The sites are available for staff and families in the district.

According to the EGUSD Public Information Officer Xanthi Soriano, these sites were determined through a preliminary survey that about 58% of the staff responded to. Based on the responses, about 6% of workers prefer not to share their vaccination status and will do weekly testing.

Soriano told ABC10 the district is also changing its protocol so students who are symptomatic will be taken to the clinics instead of being tested in the school's COVID-19 Symptom Isolation (COSI) room. Previously, students took a rapid antigen test in the COSI rooms, but still needed a negative PCR test to return to school.

Having students go straight to a clinic would lower the chances of spreading COVID-19 and save them the extra step of getting a PCR test off-campus, according to Soriano.

The COSI room will then be available as an alternative place for staff to do weekly testing.

Original Story:

Starting Monday, Oct. 4, the Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) is requiring staff to verify their vaccination status or present a negative COVID-19 test.

On Oct. 6, the district will expand testing capabilities and offer a PCR test location for students, family and staff to accommodate weekly testing, according to a letter written by EGUSD Superintendent Christopher Hoffman.

“In addition to complying with the existing CDPH mandate to verify the vaccination status of all workers in TK-12 school settings and track weekly testing, we are reviewing the information shared by the Governor this morning related to mandating student vaccinations and we will comply with the order," Hoffman wrote in a letter to parents and families in the district. "We are hopeful that vaccines will play a large role in moving us out of the pandemic."

Across the district, there were a total of 344 cases of COVID-19 in September. Of those, 319 cases were students and 25 cases were staff, according to the EGUSD COVID-19 dashboard.

Nearly 60% of the total cases originated in Elementary schools, with 196 student cases and 11 staff cases.

There are a total of 63,184 students enrolled in the district and 8,395 total staff, according to the dashboard.

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