SFUSD Prepares to Provide Screening Testing Services for All Staff

San Francisco (November 11, 2020) - San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews announced the District has reached an agreement that will provide access to screening testing services for the staff of the District’s public schools. 

The agreement with California-based Curative, Inc. allows SFUSD to provide testing to school staff and marks a significant step in preparing SFUSD for gradually returning to in-person learning for some students starting late January.

Screening testing provides an important measure of security against transmission of COVID-19 by identifying potentially asymptomatic individuals. Asymptomatic individuals who test positive will be informed of their status and asked to isolate to avoid widespread exposure to others.

Curative will bill each employees’ insurance provider directly so there will be no direct cost for the actual tests up to the number insurance will pay for. SFUSD anticipates many additional costs related to its testing program. District and City officials are discussing what support may be available from the City’s Department of Public Health or elsewhere to stand up SFUSD testing sites, administer the tests, track results and provide notifications and contact tracing. 

“This agreement marks a significant step forward in our work to create an in-person teaching and learning environment where staff can feel safe,” said Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews. “When we are in a hybrid in-person learning model, we plan to have a regular surveillance testing program and SFUSD will be by far the largest single testing entity in the City of San Francisco.”

About Curative

Curative, Inc. is a California-based company which has operational labs in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas. Curative began testing for COVID-19 with an FDA-EUA authorized oral fluid test in March 2020 and is currently processing more than 70,000 samples per day.

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