Update on Omicron
January 3 - 5, 2022
Berkeley Unified School District
January 5, 2022 Board Meeting
COVID-19 Transmission, January 3 and 4, 2021
We have data about COVID-19 transmission from four sources
Total Tests Reported | 13907 |
Positive Tests | 293 |
Positivity Rate | 2.11% |
| |
Unique Tests | 7485 |
Unique Positives | 225 |
Case Rate | 3.01% |
| |
Last Update | 1/5/22 |
iHealth Home Tests
BUSD distributed over 12,000 test kits to students and staff just prior to Winter Break. Each kit had two rapid tests.
Reflects tests upload to Primary Health
from Dec. 24 through Jan. 5
All-Day Testing at Berkeley Adult School
Monday, January 3 | 125 rapid tests at BAS, with 27 positive 22% positivity rate |
Tuesday, January 4 | 138 Rapid tests at BAS with 20 positive 14% positivity rate |
Wednesday, January 5 | 137 Rapid tests at BAS with 19 positive 14% positivity rate |
Symptomatic testing for students and staff
All-Day Testing is Extended to 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Jan 5 - Jan 7
Three Days of Routine Surveillance Testing at Schools
We have now switched over to using only rapid tests for all surveillance testing. This is to increase the response time to possible COVID cases, better enabling us to detect and isolate students and staff who test positive. Note: It is not necessary to confirm a positive rapid with a PCR test.
| Tests Administered | Positive Tests |
January 3-5 First Three Days of On-Site Surveillance Testing | 2460 | 34 |
Reports from Families to covidcase@berkeley.net
In the first two days of school, we received additional calls or emails from families with information about students who attended school on Monday or Tuesday and tested positive.
| Cases | Schools |
Monday, January 3 | 6 | MLK, Longfellow, BHS, Rosa Parks |
Tuesday, January 4 | 11 | Rosa Parks, Franklin, Willard, MX, BHS, Ruth Acty, Sylvia Mendez |
Student Absence Rates
| % Absent |
January 3 | 15.24% |
January 4 | 12.70% |
Note: The average absence rate for the first two weeks in December was 6.4% and 8.22% respectively.
Staffing at Schools is Already Critically Low
Teacher Absences, January 4, 2022 | ||||
# Absent | # Unfilled | Non-Classroom | School Support Sub | Total Unfilled |
62 | 39 | 11 | 14 | 14 |
Classified Absences, Schools Only | 44 |
Secretaries, Instructional Assistants, Custodians, After-School Teachers
District Strategies for Covering Classroom Absences | Impact |
We have now increased rate of pay for substitute teacher to $300 per day | Additional financial impact to the district |
Redirect District Office TSAs to school sites for the month of January | Pause on critical programs and services from district office; missed reporting deadlines |
Redirect certificated administrators to schools for the month of January | Suspension of critical support to schools, programs, and projects |
Planning for Critical Staffing Shortages
School Strategies | Impact |
Cancel Specialist Classes like Music, PE, Science | No specialist classes for students; no prep periods for teachers |
Cancel Intervention Classes | Pause on critical services to students |
Cancel Coaching for Teachers | Pause on support for teachers |
Combine Classes in a larger space like the gym, library, etc. | Reduced instructional time; larger group size |
Secondary Schools: Teachers voluntarily give up their preparation period for pay | Teachers must teacher all six period of the day - a very demanding schedule |
Planning for Critical Staffing Shortages
*Special Education and English Language Development would continue
Ongoing Vaccination Opportunities for BUSD Staff
Two new Vaccination Clinics are available to BUSD staff in January. These have been advertised by the district to all employees.
Berkeley Community College
Tuesday, January 11, 11:00 am to 6:30 pm
Tuesday, January 18, 11:00 am to 6:30 pm
Exploring Booster February Clinics for Students 12+
Working Together to Stop the Spread