WV seeks to begin COVID-19 testing staff

The Warwick Valley Central School District plans to begin COVID-19 testing its staff as part of its monitoring and mitigation strategy against the highly infectious virus, according to the administration, who made the announcement at its regular meeting last Thursday.

WV Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum James Yap said the district, in accordance with New York State Department of Health mandates, will test teachers and other staff members on a weekly basis using a saliva test, known as the Mirimus SalivaClear.

Costs associated with the test will be “100 percent reimbursed” by New York State.

The reason for using the saliva-based test, versus the PCR-based, nasal swab test, according to Yap, is to make testing easier, “more unobtrusive,” and because “it’s confidential: You don’t need a nurse there (when you take the test).”

Yap said the three categories of people who would be tested would include the un-vaccinated; those staffers of unknown vaccination status; and those who are vaccinated but want to be tested. He added that the “vast majority” of staff are vaccinated.

Staff members taking the test are grouped into pools of 24 people, making it easier to narrow down positive cases as they arise.

If a staffer should test positive, “We have to follow (New York State Department of Health) protocols...each case is different.”

Yap said the school district would first be required to contact the New York State Department of Health and rely on their guidance regarding next steps for quarantining those individuals who test positive.

In contrast to several districts around the country, he said he wasn’t aware of any pushback from the public in terms of masking in the schools, reiterating that Warwick Valley is following New York State mandates, in terms of masking and testing.

Yap also expressed optimism on the school district’s progress on reopening so far: “We had a great opening of the school year...we had Homecoming (last weekend)...and are trying to hold as many events as safely as possible.”

Public Comment

Warwick parent and “lifelong” Warwickian, Kristina Hoti challenged board members to improve its engagement with the community. She said that she read online comments alleging that BOE meetings were not well-attended, adding that people often commute to their jobs or work late hours, making attending 7 p.m. board meetings difficult. She asked the board if meetings are still being streamed on YouTube, as they were during the height of the pandemic (the BOE has returned to in-person meetings).

Hoti added: “I consider myself web-savvy,” and still was unable to find meeting notes or minutes on the district website: “The website’s not user-friendly.”

She said she was making a “respectful request” to the school board to offer livestreams, as well as in-person meetings, with perhaps the additional use of Facebook, in order to make board meetings more accessible. “There’s fear and anxiety” among some of the public, Hoti added, that they’re unaware of what’s happening in their district.