Updated at 5:15 p.m.
Vermont is hoping to implement a new model that would test Covid-19-exposed students to keep them in school — but staffing that testing strategy may prove to be a challenge, said Dan French, state education secretary, at a press conference Tuesday.
The state’s Covid-19 mitigation measures in K-12 education have shifted as the Delta variant has caused a surge in cases and classroom closures. At first, Vermont recommended lifting masking orders in high-vaccination schools, only to reverse that measure temporarily within weeks after schools began the fall semester.
The Agency of Education then recommended weekly surveillance testing of students to limit cases while dialing back contact tracing. It’s unclear how many schools implemented that testing, but school officials and nurses said they struggled to get started with staff stretched thin already.
Now, the agency is pushing a model that would allow students to stay in school when exposed to Covid-19 rather than having to quarantine. This “test-to-stay” model is already in place in Massachusetts, and French said it would “reduce the impact on student learning and … reduce the time students spend out of the classroom as a result of Covid-19.”
Under this model, unvaccinated students with no symptoms who were exposed to a case would get an antigen test at the beginning of each school day until seven days had passed since their exposure. Symptomatic students must stay out of school.
French said the test-to-stay arrangement would work in tandem with other testing strategies, including surveillance testing, take-home PCR tests for families to use and PCR response testing for schools to use if they want to, for example, immediately test a student with symptoms.
But he admitted that districts may find it difficult to staff these testing needs.
“The major bottleneck for implementing testing will be staffing,” French said. “I expect many schools will consider hiring additional staff or redeploying staff they already have on hand to implement the testing, so this will take some time to ramp up across the state.”
In Massachusetts, CIC, a testing provider, also provides staff to go into schools and provides antigen testing. But French said school officials in that state have found CIC to be “inadequate.”
French added that school districts have “considerable” funding from the federal government for Covid-19 mitigation measures.
He expects it will take a few weeks for school districts to get started on the new testing measures because of those logistical issues.
“But I can’t help but think this is going to be the solution that really strikes the appropriate balance between keeping kids safe but also keeping kids in school. … We have to work hard to figure these things out, and it’s going to be a state and local partnership to do that,” he said.
The Department of Health reported 107 new Covid-19 cases in K-12 schools in the past week, among students or staff who were infectious while physically in school. In total, the department has reported 651 cases since the start of the school year.
In all, 51% of Vermont schools have not had a single Covid-19 case this year, which means 49% of schools have had at least one case.
Better outlook for Covid-19
Vermont reported 1,166 Covid-19 cases in the past week, compared with 1,462 cases the week before. That’s the second straight week of falling Covid-19 cases, according to a presentation from Michael Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation.
Pieciak said it was still too early to give a forecast for the coming weeks, and hospitalizations have remained relatively level even as cases have dropped.
But cases and hospitalizations at a national level have dropped as well, an encouraging sign for Vermont’s coronavirus outlook, he said.
Cases remain far higher among unvaccinated Vermonters. The rate of Covid-19 cases among unvaccinated Vermonters is 4.3 times higher than the rate among fully vaccinated Vermonters, according to DFR data.
The hospitalization rate for unvaccinated Vermonters is 2.7 times higher, although it’s fallen 30% in the past seven days while hospital stays for vaccinated Vermonters have declined 14%, the data shows. Pieciak said the hospitalization rate for Vermonters 70 and older has dropped as well.
About 2,700 Vermonters got their first shot of the vaccine in the past week, an increase from the past few weeks. In total, 88.3% of Vermonters 12 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
On Tuesday, Vermont reported 92 new cases. Thirty-seven people are in the hospital with the virus, including 13 in intensive care units. In total, 323 people have died in the pandemic, including 42 people in September and one so far in October.
Scott comments on legislative Covid-19 action
Gov. Phil Scott has consistently resisted calls to impose new restrictions since the Delta variant’s arrival in Vermont, arguing that doing so would require reimposing a state of emergency. Asked Tuesday if he would support the Legislature acting to enact new measures themselves, the governor was emphatic: “No. Plain and simple — I don’t think it's necessary.”
“If they want to ... come back into session, and they want to introduce a mask mandate, they want to limit travel, they want to shut down bars and restaurants, they want to limit gatherings, they want to cancel Christmas, I mean, that’s up to them,” he said.
Scott said he already had the power to take these measures himself, but does not believe they are warranted.
“It’s called a state of emergency. That toolbox is there. And I have the key to it. So if we thought it was necessary and effective to have a mask mandate at this point in time, we’d open that toolbox,” he said.
Asked if he was concerned that Vermont’s easing of restrictions could have caused more deaths, Scott claimed that states that still have mask mandates “[don’t] look any different than our [data], in fact it’s worse than ours, so their mitigation measures haven't worked.”
The Legislature is not in session right now. And while Democratic leaders at the Statehouse have called on Scott to adopt more aggressive public health interventions, they have also indicated they are not likely to reconvene and enact them on their own.
Senate Pro Tem Becca Balint said Tuesday that Scott’s comments took her aback and appeared to come “out of left field.” She had engaged with the governor’s office in recent days about whether the Legislature could enable a mask mandate without a state of emergency, she said, but those conversations had not contemplated any broader measures or shut-downs.
“Why did he throw the canceling Christmas line in there? Like, what is that message to Vermonters?” she asked. “I feel like it’s a distraction. It is trying to throw shade on the work that we’re doing to try to keep people safe. It has nothing to do with the conversation at hand. And frankly, I expect more from this administration.”
Balint also reiterated legislative leaders have no plans to act on the matter unless Scott signs on to their efforts.
“I don’t understand why we would go through bringing everybody back, doing that, to have him veto it. Because I think he’s been clear he doesn't support our position,” she said.
House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, said she hadn’t even taken part in the most recent discussion. But she stressed the Legislature’s entreaties to the governor had focused on masking.
“We're not asking to shut down everything. We're saying let's use the one tool we know that can help protect people right now. So I'm disappointed with him, you know — I don't know why he would say something like that,” she said.
But, like Balint, she emphasized that legislative leaders believe it is ultimately on Scott to act.
“He has the tools to do it. He had the tools yesterday. He had the tools last week. I just don't understand and would love to know what is the threshold that needs to be met, that would trigger mandating masks across Vermont? Because these numbers are still deeply concerning,” Krowinski said.
Soccer controversy
A soccer game Sept. 18 between Winooski and Enosburg raised concerns about both physical play and racially abusive language.
The Vermont Principals’ Association, an independent organization, oversees high school athletics in the state, and state officials were asked if that arrangement provides effective oversight.
“These types of issues, unfortunately, still need to be addressed,” French said. “You know, it’s all the adults involved. They need to take their responsibility to do what they need to do, and it is concerning to me that the referees are not acting or if the games are not receiving proper oversight.”
Scott said he hopes the principals association would work with state officials “to provide the best experience for kids.”
Lola Duffort contributed to this article.
