Atlanta Public Schools (APS) recently announced that students wishing to participate in athletics and extracurricular activities will be required to consent to twice-weekly covid testing: https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/Page/67554

“Atlanta Public Schools has begun the process of requiring all students participating in athletics and all extracurricular activities to agree to surveillance testing, twice a week.” – APS website, January 2022 

“Students wanting to participate in athletics or other extracurricular activities will not be allowed to do so if they have not consented to surveillance testing, twice a week.” – APS website, January 2022

Our children deserve access to the sports and activities that are integral to their mental health and physical well-being without unnecessary, invasive, mandatory medical testing. We do not want to be forced to give consent for twice-weekly covid testing in order for them to play sports and participate in extracurricular activities. Mandating covid testing only prolongs the pandemic-related stress and suffering experienced by so many of our children. This is a complete overreach by APS, a waste of time and resources, and it creates an unnecessary hindrance to activities that are integral to students’ quality of life: 

APS is creating unnecessary barriers to students’ well-being.

·         Sports and extracurricular activities are integral to the mental and physical health and well-being of many APS students.

·         A positive covid test means students miss at least five days of school and athletics/extracurriculars regardless of symptoms.

·         APS is withholding access to activities at a time when other local districts are ending covid protocols. 

·         Mandating testing for socially distant outdoor activities like golf and tennis defies logic. 

Testing healthy students is a waste of APS’ time and resources. 

·         School employees are already overwhelmed with the amount of new tasks related to the pandemic.

·        An open records request revealed that APS spent $7,476,350 for testing between Feb 2021-Dec 2021, and the contract with Viral Solutions will likely reach an estimated $15 million.

·         Testing healthy students wastes valuable covid tests. Save covid tests for people exhibiting symptoms who wish to be tested.

APS is not my child’s healthcare provider. 

·         Managing the health of Atlanta’s children is the job of parents and medical professionals. APS’ role is to educate them.

·         With other APS covid protocols in place, declining case numbers, vaccines now widely available, and the rest of the world voluntarily accepting covid risk, mandating covid testing for activities goes too far. 

The majority of APS stakeholders are not participating in on-site testing. 

·         According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “As of early January, about 20% of parents consented to have their child get tested regularly, and APS leaders have been seeking ways to expand the program.” 

·         APS is mandating testing in opposition to the actions of stakeholders. APS works for the families of Atlanta, not vice versa.

·         APS leadership targeting certain student populations in an effort to expand its testing program.  

Please rescind this mandate because our children need to resume normal life now!