On Feb. 17, 2021, the state Education Department announced that it would consider revising a memo it had issued that barred schools from requiring families to consent to in-school COVID-19 testing for students as a condition of in-person learning.

In response, UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued the following statement: 

At this point in time, it should be the State Education Department’s job to help school districts increase their testing capacity. It is appropriate that SED withdraw its latest testing memo.

Aggressive testing and tracing programs have been part of the protocols that have helped keep students and educators safe. When the federal Centers for Disease Control released its guidance on how to open schools safely, testing was a vital piece of its plan. Now is not the time for New York State to abandon what works.