by Garth Meyer
The Redondo Beach Unified School District is ““strongly encouraging students and staff to secure a COVID test prior to returning to campus” on Monday, January 3.
The request was made in a Wednesday, Dec. 29, email to Redondo parents from Superintendent Steven Keller. School districts nationwide are concerned the students returning from the holiday break will further spread the Omicron virus.
The email notes that the district has not yet received COVID-19 test kits that the Los Angeles County Office of Education plans to distribute to school districts. Governor Gavin Newsom said last week that the State would distribute six million test kits, enough for every K-12 student in California, in time for their return from winter break.
“In my communications with the Los Angeles County Office of Education, these tests have yet to arrive, and an arrival date cannot be confirmed,” the superintendent stated in his email.
He emphasized that “the district’s top priority is to keep kids learning in-person safely,” and asked district families “to please continue to strictly adhere to the daily health screening questions when we return to campuses on Monday. We also ask that all positive COVID results be reported to your school site principal in order for us to ensure proper tracing and mitigating spread.”
The superintendent’s email noted that the Beach Cities Health District testing site is closed until next week and listed the following options for getting tested:
- www.heal360.com
- https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/
- https://samedayhealth.com/
- Your healthcare provider
- Local CVS/pharmacy
- Some local urgent care facilities
- An at-home COVID test.
Many parents, responding on social media to the Superintendent Keller’s email, noted that local pharmacies have not been able to keep home tests kits in stock.
The superintendent’s email is posted on the district website, RBUSD.org. ER
