Why did Clovis Unified schools get new COVID testing kits, but Fresno Unified didn’t?

The first batch of about 160,000 new COVID-19 testing kits is expected to arrive Wednesday in Fresno County as schools reopen after the winter break while the omicron variant is triggering a new surge of coronavirus infections.

Jim Yovino, Fresno County’s superintendent of schools, said the test kits would help students and teachers stay safe — and keep classrooms open.

“Students belong in the classroom in front of a caring adult,” Yovino said Tuesday in a joint statement with Fresno County public health officials. “Let’s keep students in school. I encourage families to utilize the test kits available to them from their school district, as well as vaccinating their children when eligible.”

Hank Gutierrez., the county’s deputy superintendent, said the tests would be distributed over the next two weeks.

The new tests come from the same batch of nearly six million kits that Gov. Gavin Newsom planned to distribute to all schools before students returned from the winter holidays. As of Tuesday, only about half had been delivered around California, The Sacramento Bee reported. Scores of tests have been delayed due to the recent storms.

But some schools, like Clovis Unified and Selma Unified, have already received their shipments of COVID tests.

Why have some schools received the tests while others are still waiting?

Initially, schools were allowed to order the kits directly from the state between Dec. 1 and Dec. 6 last month. But then California changed the program and directed county offices of education to handle distribution.

Some districts that placed their orders quickly that first week of December — like Clovis and Selma Unified in Fresno County — have already received their shipments.

“We acted quickly when we heard that these kits were available, and didn’t experience any delays in our original order,” CUSD Chief Communications Officer Kelly Avants said in an email.

Clovis schools ordered 45,000 at-home test kits before the winter break to ensure students had access to the test kits before classes resumed.

It remains unclear exactly how many districts have received the testing kits.

These efforts come as COVID-19 cases in Fresno County have nearly doubled in a week, and county health officials said they are bracing for an outbreak in the valley.

Meanwhile, pediatric vaccination rates for the approximately 206,000 school-age children in Fresno County lag well behind the statewide average.

Vaccinations are not yet required for students attending in-person instruction, but will be in the future. Students will be required to be vaccinated for in-person learning starting the term following The Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the vaccine for a student’s grade span. It is unclear when the mandate will go into effect.

As of Monday, a little less than 31% of the county’s youth ages 5 to 17 were fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while 6.1% of children were partially vaccinated with one shot, according to a Fresno Bee analysis of data from the California Department of Public Health. Statewide, there are more than 6.7 million youth ages 5 to 17. As of Monday, more than 40.2% of those were fully vaccinated and nearly 8.4% had received their first dose.

Selma schools distributing COVID test kits to students, families

Selma students began picking up their at-home test kits on Tuesday.

Carmen Gonzales, a grandmother of two Selma Unified students, said the tests “absolutely” put her mind at ease as her grandchildren prepare to return to school next week.

“I’m the grandma. My daughter has a full-time job, so I’m the one that’s responsible for getting them to and from school four days a week and I was pleased with Selma Unified School district for doing this,” Gonzales told the Education Lab.

According to Selma Unified Director of Pupil Services Wayne Dixon, Selma Unified learned about the tests early in December like other school districts.

“We were able to obtain them in early December when other districts were still trying to decide how to do this,” Dixon said. “I’ve got a great health staff here at Selma Unified and we try to keep up to date and that’s how we became aware of them.”

Dixon said Selma Unified ordered 6,500 kits but received 5,888. Selma Unified has approximately 6,200 students.

“I think we are going to have enough for everyone who is requesting them to give to our families,” Dixon said.

But, according to Dixon, the rise of the omicron variant has more parents requesting at-home test kits.

Gonzales said she is worried about the rise of the Omicron virus and how it will affect schools and students.

Fresno County has also seen a spike in COVID-19 cases since December.

“I’m absolutely concerned about the rise, and I just feel like the tests are just part of it. I wish more people would get vaccinated,” Gonzales said.

According to Fresno Unified spokesperson Nikki Henry, the district had not yet received the tests and likely won’t get them before classes resume next week.

“With the delays we’ve seen we aren’t expecting to be able to get them out before students return on Tuesday and are encouraging students and staff to use our school based testing centers or any Fresno County testing sites to test before returning as a precaution,” Henry said.

Where can Fresno-area students get tested?

Families that have not yet received their at-home test kits can get tested through any of the Fresno County Department of Public Health testing sites or school testing sites.

Fresno County’s Health Department has a list of testing sites and times on its website at www.fcdph.org/covid19testing. People without internet access can call the county’s COVID-19 information line at 888-559-2683 for help finding a testing site.

Fresno Unified is also offering testing sites at the following schools:

Fresno High School

McLane High School

Gaston Middle School

Roosevelt High School

Hoover High School

Sunnyside High School

In addition to getting tested families can also make an appointment to get their booster shot or first shot for their child. Families can find information for vaccine registration at the California Department of Public Health My Turn site.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 7:00 AM.