SFUSD staff outline phased reopening and testing plan; board sets Nov. 17 vote

San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews and district staff presented a data-driven roadmap on Nov. 10 outlining how small, prioritized cohorts of students could return to campus in staged “waves” if health and operational indicators turn green.

The presentation, framed by the district’s equity priorities, described nine work streams — including identification of priority cohorts, safety protocols, testing, facilities readiness, staffing, and family communications — and a public dashboard that shows progress toward reopening benchmarks. Staff said the district has identified the students and sites that could be served in Phase 2A and Phase 2B and is planning returns in waves to limit initial on-site attendance.

Key operational details cited by staff: the district has executed an agreement with Curative to supply COVID-19 test kits and laboratory analysis, is finalizing health-and-safety protocols and training modules for staff, has placed large orders for partitions and PPE to reach a three-month stockpile, and has completed dozens of site assessments focused on ventilation and circulation. Dawn Kamalyn Abben, SFUSD chief facilities officer, told the board the district’s custodial staffing can support about 3.2% of instructional square footage under new COVID cleaning routines — a constraint staff said equates to roughly 15,000 daily seats in any 24‑hour period without alternate scheduling.

Testing and vendor status

Meli Lau Smith, a district testing lead, said the Curative agreement on the board agenda would give SFUSD access to Curative’s test kits and analysis. Curative bills insurers for the cost of tests; the district’s contract with Curative does not require a purchase of tests. Smith and other staff stressed the agreement is a procurement step that enables SFUSD to build a testing operation but does not, by itself, create a fully staffed testing program. That operation will require proctors, site setup, technology integration and coordination with the Department of Public Health (DPH). Staff reported ongoing conversations with city and private partners about proctoring and data systems.

On surveillance testing, staff said the district is planning surveillance testing primarily for staff; routine surveillance testing of students is not part of the initial rollout. For symptomatic or exposure testing, the district will coordinate with families’ primary-care providers or city testing sites and with DPH for case management and contact tracing. Staff said they are attempting to confirm whether insurers are required to reimburse multiple tests per week (which would materially change capacity plans) and will provide written clarification to the board.

Board action and next steps

The board treated the reopening resolution as a first reading and suspended the usual limitations on public comment (a roll-call suspension motion passed). Commissioner Jenny Lam summarized the resolution’s schedule: staff will present an elementary reopening plan and timeline by Dec. 8 and plans for middle-high schools in January 2021; the resolution calls for first cohorts (pre-K, TK, kindergarten, students in moderate-to-severe SDC, and other priority groups) to be ready no later than Jan. 25, subject to public-health conditions and labor agreements.

Board members requested written answers in advance of the Nov. 17 special meeting on key operational questions such as testing cadence, who will be tested, specific ventilation standards, staff preparation time, and how families’ choices will be tracked. Staff asked for the board’s questions several days in advance so staff can provide detailed written responses for the Nov. 17 meeting.

The meeting also approved, by roll call, the Curative agreement that provides test kits and lab services; staff emphasized that additional operational funding and resources will be required to stand up district-run testing sites and data systems. The Smartsheet contract on the consent calendar (about $166,000) was pulled by the superintendent for further review.