Sacramento, CA - In advance of consecutive 3-day weekends in February, Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) will be distributing at-home COVID-19 test kits to all elementary and middle school students. Testing kit results can be officially reported from home to SCUSD through the website Primary Health (primary.health).

District families will be asked to test their child and submit results on Monday, February 14, and Monday, February 21. SCUSD schools will be closed on Monday, February 14 (in observance of President Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday), and Monday, February 21 (in observance of President George Washington’s Birthday).

Due to supply chain issues, enough inventory to supply all students with at-home testing kits could not be sourced by Friday, February 11. Therefore, elementary, K-8, and middle schools were prioritized due to lower vaccination rates in those age groups compared to high school age students. SCUSD is actively working to secure testing inventory for all students, including high schools, for a distribution by Friday, February 18.

In addition, SCUSD will be opening the Serna Center (5735 47th Avenue, Sacramento CA 95824) on Monday, February 14, 2022 and February 21, 2022 from 10:00 am to 4:00pm for all students, staff, and household members who wish to undergo COVID-19 testing during school closures.

Schools will be receiving their first shipment of tests on Friday, February 11 to immediately distribute to students. A second shipment of tests is scheduled to arrive at schools between Tuesday, February 15, 2022 and Thursday, February 17, 2022, depending on potential supply chain impacts. SCUSD families will receive notifications from their schools when these tests will be distributed.

“During the upcoming holiday weekends, many will use the extra time to gather with friends and family, and we want them to be able to return to school safely afterward on Tuesday,” said Jorge A. Aguilar, Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District. “This same take-home testing strategy helped prevent over 500 cases from arriving at our schools after the winter break peak of the Omicron wave. Students and staff are also encouraged to take advantage of the testing we have made available at the Serna Center on Monday the 14th and 21st.”

“Whether it’s taking the extra day to take a road-trip, or inviting friends and family over to watch the Super Bowl or other gatherings, Sac City Unified wants our students to be able to enjoy their time away from school safely,” said Christina Pritchett, Board President, Sacramento City Unified School District. “Our District is providing our students with the tools they need to be COVID safe both inside and outside of our schools, including high filtration masks, and these at-home testing kits.”

Schools will receive instructional fliers from the SCUSD print shop with English on one side and Spanish on the other. Additionally, the flier has been translated into Hmong, Farsi, Vietnamese and Chinese for schools to distribute as needed. SCUSD will also be sharing an instructional video on how to submit test results.

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