Seattle Public Schools announces Monday school closure citing COVID-19 testing effort

Seattle Public Schools has announced that there will be no school Monday, Jan. 3, in order to provide voluntary rapid COVID-19 testing for all staff and students.

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The school district reports that it has procured 60,000 rapid antigen tests for staff and students, provided by the Washington State Department of Health.

“In light of the surge in COVID-19 transmission in our community due to the Omicron virus, we’ll be using these tests to support a healthy return to school,” reads an SPS update.

“Our goal in providing wide-scale testing is to minimize the transmission of the Omicron virus and reduce intermittent disruptions to in-person learning,” the district noted. “Because 80% to 90% of positive cases are asymptomatic, identifying them before, and quickly after, classes resume will reduce the spread of the virus in our schools.”

There will be no school and no athletic practices Monday in order to allow for the voluntary testing clinics. Buildings will be open on Jan. 3 during normal hours for those students who need access to meal services. All schools will serve grab-and-go lunches between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for student meals.

The regional testing clinics will be held at middle schools on Jan. 3, and will be open to all SPS students. The clinics will be located at: Denny International Middle School, Eckstein Middle School, Hamilton International Middle School, Jane Addams Middle School, Madison Middle School, McClure Middle School, Meany Middle School, Mercer International Middle School, Robert Eagle Staff Middle School, South Shore PreK-8 School, Washington Middle School, and Whitman Middle School.

On Sunday, Jan. 2, there will be an additional COVID testing clinic for SPS students in the Southeast and Central regions, held at South Shore PreK-8 School from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Earlier in the week, SPS said it would maintain its plan to reopen in person following winter break, but families were advised to “prepare for the possibility” of moving to remote learning.

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Find more details on the COVID-19 testing clinics from SPS here.

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