Seattle Public Schools delays return to school so students, staff can get tested for COVID-19

As coronavirus cases surge throughout the state, Seattle Public Schools is delaying its Jan. 3 return to classes following winter break to allow students and staff to get tested for the virus.

School will resume Tuesday, Jan. 4. 

In an online announcement, the district said it received 60,000 rapid antigen tests from the state Department of Health. It will be distributing those tests for free at several of its schools on Jan. 3. A list of locations, along with their hours of operation, can be found on the district’s website.

Although there will be no classes on Jan. 3, all school buildings will be open during normal hours for students who need access to meal services. All schools will serve grab-and-go lunches between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Athletic practices for the day are canceled.

No appointments are needed for testing. However, a consent form signed by a parent or guardian is needed for every student under 18. Consent forms are available here.

The district will also be holding a testing clinic on Jan. 2 — Sunday — at South Shore PreK-8 School for students living in the Southeast and Central regions of the district. You can register online for an appointment at that clinic here. Consent forms signed by a parent or guardian are also needed for any student under 18.

The district — the largest in the state — said the delay comes in response to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, driven by the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Although infections tend to be milder, the variant is considered extraordinarily contagious.

In fact, Washington recently broke its record for the number of new infections logged in a single day — a record set at a time when vaccines were only just starting to become available in the U.S. In King County, new cases are up 195% over the last week.