Texas A&M University-San Antonio issued the following announcement.
The seven south Bexar County Independent School Districts (ISDs) comprising the ASPIRE network with Texas A&M University-San Antonio will launch a groundbreaking school COVID-19 testing initiative supported by Community Labs, LLC, a San Antonio-based nonprofit to provide cost-effective testing protocols. The testing initiative will improve speed and accuracy to identify asymptomatic silent spreaders. The testing program is scheduled to launch in early to mid-November, potentially impacting up to 68,000 students and more than 10,000 staff in the collaboration, known as the A&M-SA & South Bexar County ISDs Partnership to Impact Regional Equity and Excellence (ASPIRE) network. ASPIRE is comprised of the East Central, Edgewood, Harlandale, Somerset, South San Antonio, Southside and Southwest ISDs.
The Community Labs testing process identifies asymptomatic silent spreaders of COVID-19 by providing 24-hour test results, scale, accuracy and a less invasive, self-administered test by swabbing the front of the nostril. The testing programs will help to establish COVID-19 Safety Zones and a pathway for schools to reopen, people to return to work and communities to recover. Community Labs school outreach will be provided free of charge to ASPIRE students and staff as well as other districts throughout San Antonio. Funding is provided by grants from local government entities through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and by private donors.
When ASPIRE was established nearly a year ago, we hoped to be able to see the types of initiatives that would move the needle on collaborative efforts and opportunities resulting in collective impact. While none of us could have foreseen a global pandemic, we knew that ASPIRE’s ability to work together would increase the agility of the districts to move quickly to identify partners, services and delivery of resources,” said Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, president of A&M-San Antonio. “Community Labs involvement and its funders, A&M-San Antonio and the ASPIRE network demonstrate the effectiveness of putting the community first.”
Testing is scheduled to begin as early as Nov. 2 in ASPIRE districts, as well as other districts throughout San Antonio, including the Centers for Applied Science and Technology (CAST Schools), the San Antonio-based network of schools focused on experiential learning. More information can be found at https://castschools.com .
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Dr. Adriana Contreras at (210) 363-9717 or acontreras@tamusa.edu . To schedule an interview with Community Labs, contact Mary Ullmann Japhet, Japhet Media LLC, at (210) 414-9030 or mary@japhet-media.com .
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