“Test to Stay” rapid testing program at Syracuse High leads to soft closure
Dec 7, 2020, 5:58 PM | Updated: Dec 8, 2020, 8:38 am
This story has been updated to reflect the correct percentage of students tested in the pilot program.
SYRACUSE, Utah — The Davis County School District says Syracuse High School will switch to a soft closure beginning Tuesday, Dec. 8, because not enough students participated in a pilot program called “Test to Stay.”
Spokesman Christopher Williams said that in order for the school to have remained open for in-person classes, at least 80% of the high school’s student body needed to participate in the program which included a free rapid COVID-19 test.
“After the testing concluded, 68% of the students at Syracuse High were tested … [and] 19 additional individuals tested positive for COVID-19 today,” Williams said in a statement.
“That is an addition to 27 individuals associated with the school who had tested positive for the virus in the prior 14 days.”
Williams says that classes will not be held on Tuesday, Dec. 8, to allow time for teachers to switch to full-time remote learning which will begin on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
The soft closure of Syracuse High School remains in effect through Friday, Dec. 18.
