Gwinnett testing remains at capacity

Gwinnett still is giving parents choice of virtual or in-person learning. It’s a constant struggle to get COVID-19 tests, supplies needed to process them.

Gwinnett County is one of a few school districts in metro Atlanta to keep its original back-to-school plans, which includes opening school buildings to students.

At the regular board meeting Thursday, administrators sought to assure the community that they are putting processes in place to make sure student learning will be safe and effective. The district is giving parents the choice of virtual or in-person learning.

“The department has also been developing the Gwinnett County Public Schools Case Investigation Protocol that the district will use when a student or staff member becomes ill or has been exposed to COVID-19,” said Steve Flynt, associate superintendent for school improvement and operations.

Along with Fulton and DeKalb counties, Gwinnett had more than a fourth of all hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the state, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The other districts have announced all-virtual instruction for the first semester of the 2020-21 school year.

Of the 10 largest school districts in the state, Gwinnett is one of four that will offer in-person learning. The others — Forsyth, Henry and Cherokee — are considerably smaller. With more than 180,000 students, Gwinnett has a larger enrollment than the other three combined.

Even though there were difficulties with at-home learning this spring, many parents, teachers and community members cited the growing number of coronavirus infections in metro Atlanta as

Trying to schedule a COVID-19 test appointment at a Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments site can be like pulling the arm of a slot machine. Enter your availability, the site you’re willing to go to, press the big orange NEXT button, and see if you’re lucky enough to see an open slot.

The health department runs two test sites — one at the department headquarters in Lawrenceville and another in Lilburn — with appointments from 7:30 a.m. to noon every day. Appointments are booked up to three days in advance, but between the online scheduling tool and the department’s scheduling hotline, they fill up fast.

Amanda Henke, 34, found out July 10, that she may have been exposed to the virus. She tried to get an appointment for a Gwinnett test site that day, but it was full for the next three days. Henke checked again July 13, and was able to get an appointment for the morning of July 16.

Though Henke has not experienced symptoms of COVID-19 since her potential exposure, knowing that getting a testing appointment could be difficult made it that much more important to secure one, she said.

“There was a part of me that wanted to get a test while I know they’re available,” Henke said. “The way case numbers are going, they’re probably going to be harder and harder to get.”

The demand continues to increase along with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Gwinnett. It has the most cases of any county in Georgia, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down, said Audrey Arona, health director for the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments.

BEN GRAY / FOR THE AJC Mary Williams, a parent who doesn’t want all-virtual classes for her fourth grader, talks with Gwinnett County Public Schools Board member Steven Knudsen before the start of Thursday’s meeting. “My taxes pay for my child to get an education; screen time at home won’t work for her,” she said.