Fall Ready

Fall Ready: San Marcos Unified School District outlines COVID & flu preparedness
Posted on 10/28/2021

SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Oct. 28, 2021. With COVID-19 and the flu both circulating this season, coupled with many eased restrictions, it's important that the San Marcos Unified District (SMUSD) community remain attentive to continuing to do the simple things to stay safe, stay healthy, in order to stay in school. 


What SMUSD is doing to keep students & staff healthy:

With the top recommended mitigation measures in place throughout SMUSD, there are also additional mitigation measures SMUSD has taken to ensure the safest learning environment possible, including ENIVROmist fogging of classrooms, testing at school sites and SMUSD hiring district contact tracers. See all the ways SMUSD is keeping our students and staff safe by clicking here.


Additionally, SMUSD is proud to share that SMUSD is now contracting with Inspire Diagnostics to conduct all of our on-site COVID testing clinics beginning Monday November 1, 2021. Inspire Diagnostics is not only highly-regarded, but also used by neighboring school districts, so they are aware of staffing needs of school testing sites and test result turnaround times. 


Updated COVID Testing Schedule and Locations:

Inspire Diagnostics’ new testing schedule will mirror the current testing schedule, with some expanded hours beginning next week. See the COVID-19 testing schedule by clicking here. 


To utilize one of our testing sites, a one-time registration is required. Please click here to begin the brief registration process. 


All tests will be PCR tests, if a student is asymptomatic they can bring proof of the PCR test to the school health office to be admitted back to class. They will not need to wait for results in order to return to school. If a student is experiencing symptoms, they will need to show proof of a negative PCR test in order to return to school. Current Inspire Diagnostics test results turnaround time is approximately 24-48 hours. 

If you have questions regarding SMUSD's COVID-19 testing program, please email [email protected] or call 760-752-1247.


Additionally, SMUSD staff has also reconfigured the COVID-19 Dashboard to make it easier to view and understand. While it is no longer required for SMUSD to display and maintain a dashboard, leadership understands the importance of transparency of information and ensuring our families understand how low our positive case rates are. 

“We are very grateful for our staff, students and families for working together with us to keep our COVID case rates less than 1% throughout this school year,” says Superintendent Dr. Andy Johnsen. 


Vaccination Events:

For those who are interested in receiving a COVID vaccination, SMUSD has partnered with community organizations to host COVID vaccine & testing events for SMUSD staff & families as well as the community at large. Please click here to see the upcoming vaccination events.



What you can do to stay healthy:

Public health experts agree there are simple things to do to keep both COVID and the flu at bay. Some of these tips include following the simple best practices we have all become accustomed to:

  • Regular hand washing

  • Use hand sanitizers

  • Stay away from sick people

  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

  • Clean commonly touched surfaces

  • Keep holiday gatherings small

  • If you are sick, stay home and avoid contact with others


SMUSD has not experienced any school closures this year, and with COVID positive case rates at SMUSD in October at about 1/4 of 1%, school leadership appreciates the support of staff and families to keep schools open and keep students in class safely.

“We know that having students learn in-person is the best for their learning and educational experience, and full-time, in-person instruction is the model for all SMUSD schools this year,” says Superintendent Dr. Johnsen. “This school year, we've remained focused on student success despite changing public health guidance and new mandates that have come our way. The pandemic has prepared us to adjust to the unforeseen, and we are ready.”