SoWashCo Schools Get $1M Grant For Coronavirus Testing

WOODBURY, MN — The state of Minnesota has granted the South Washington County School District just over $1 million to fund a coronavirus testing program during the 2021-22 academic year.

The funds are part of the state's efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure in-person learning can continue amid the ongoing pandemic. Minnesota's $55 million school testing program is supported by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

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Education Commissioner Heather Mueller said the testing program will help keep students in schools, which she called "the very best place for our students to receive an education and to develop the important social-emotional skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

Last week, 535 K-12 schools were on the Minnesota Department of Health's list of schools that have had recent COVID-19 outbreaks.

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Two schools in Independent School District 833 were included on the state's list — Woodbury High and East Ridge High — along with Woodbury Leadership Academy and New Life Academy.

The COVID-19 data dashboard for South Washington Schools, which includes East Ridge and Woodbury high schools, shows there have been 78 total coronavirus cases this academic year across its four high schools, as of Thursday.