SAN DIEGO — It’s been an interesting winter break for the parents and students in the San Ysidro School District. A lot has changed since they left school on December 19th: The omicron variant has surged throughout California and at-home tests have been extremely hard to come by. Case rates in the South Bay are higher than most places in the county.
So with K-12 schools in the district planning to come back for in-person classes on Monday, something needed to be done to make sure students aren’t bringing the virus into the classroom.
"Today we're distributing at-home tests to all of our families," said David Farkas, the assistant superintendent at San Ysidro School District. "We've had an extra long winter break. So we're excited to get these tests in time to get them to our families."
Farkas is one of the many volunteers handing out rapid COVID tests to the line of cars winding behind San Ysidro Middle School. The state of California providing 4,500 tests to the district- enough for every student, teacher and staff member.
"The guidance is changing often," said Farkas. "We are working together to make sure our schools remain open. Because we've seen it firsthand how important it is to have our students together in school."
The district currently has weekly testing available for all who work or learn in it’s schools, an at-home test just another layer of safety before classes resume Monday.
"Everyone takes care of each other in this community, they look out for their schools and for their neighbors." said Farkas.
From food distribution to COVID tests, Farkas has been in these drive-thru lines many times throughout the pandemic. He’s seen his border community step up in a real way, making sure families get the support they need and students able to get the education they deserve.
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