As the number of COVID-19 cases grows, the Detroit district is offering free testing to staff and families

As positive cases surge across the city, the Detroit school district is offering free COVID-19 testing to staff and families to help mitigate community spread of the disease. 

Free testing will be available beginning from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday at the Golightly Education Center in Detroit. The Detroit Public Schools Community District is partnering with Wayne State University and Henry Ford Health System to offer the testing. After this weekend, testing will be available at several district schools through mid-December. Appointments aren’t necessary to get tested. 

“As COVID rates have been increasing in the city and state, the importance of access to testing has also increased,” said Alycia Meriweather, the district’s deputy superintendent of partnerships and innovation.  

The district suspended in-person learning until at least January due to rising COVID-19 cases in the city. The number of people who tested positive in Detroit  had reached 6%. When the school year began, school officials made it clear in-person learning would stop if the rate of positive tests fell between 5% and 7%. 

State data show the district has COVID outbreaks at Earhart, Munger, and Western International schools. Schools are considered an outbreak site if local health departments report two or more cases of COVID-19 on school grounds, and if the patients may have shared exposure on school grounds and are from different households. The three outbreaks in the district involve staff.