Sweetwater Union High School is one of the first districts to return back to school in the county.
They’ve been back for about two weeks now and they’re already seeing positive COVID-19 cases among students.
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Nadege Johnson is the communications director at the school district.
She said in-person learning is going well and that there haven't been any major COVID outbreaks at school, but some kids have tested positive for the virus.
Out of the 35,000 students attending in-person classes, 58 students have tested positive, according to the district's COVID dashboard.
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Johnson says with COVID still being a threat in the community, positive cases were expected.
This is why they’re continuing to offer free COVID Rapid testing at different school sites.
“Testing sites have been very popular and active. So we’ve been offering testing at sites for the last two weeks. We’re requiring masks and testing, we know that testing and vaccinations is the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Johnson said.
Tuesday’s COVID testing clinic was held at Eastlake High School.
Sofia Carreno is two weeks into the new school year at Eastlake Middle School.
Although she is vaccinated and happy to be back for in-person learning, she’s starting to have reservations.
She was one of the many students in line at the testing site.
She was told by her school that she had been exposed to the virus by someone in her classroom.
“Honestly, I kind of don’t really want to go back to in person classes, because I don't want to risk my health,” Carreno said.
Her father, Erico Carreno, said they’re trying to do what’s best for their kids. They are now looking into hybrid school options for their daughter Sofia.
“I think it’s better to not expose the kids at the moment,” he said.
The district is holding another COVID-19 testing clinic on Thursday at Southwest High School from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
