Despite spikes in coronavirus infections and low child vaccination rates, schools across Pennsylvania have been slow to enroll in a free testing program offered by the state health department, even during the omicron wave. 

Spotlight PA reports that only 750 of the state's more than 5,000 charter, private, and public schools enrolled as of Feb 16. Of that total, roughly half are actively testing, with others still in the onboarding process.

The figure represents a doubling of last fall's participation rate, but Acting Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter says it's still not enough. 

Pressed on the lack of sign-ups, Klinepeter turned the question back on local officials: "I would ask you to go ask the schools why they're not participating, why they're not doing their part to protect kids and teachers."

THE CONTEXT: School testing programs across the country have struggled over the fall and winter to gain momentum as officials juggled competing crises: outbreaks fueled by new variants and exhausted school staff. 

In Charleroi, Superintendent Edward Zelich said staff were stretched thin and that the district has opted for other mitigation measures — like masks, vaccine clinics, and contact tracing — instead. "Their plates are so full," he added.

Forty minutes north, the Mt. Lebanon School District in Pittsburgh's suburbs was one of the earliest adopters of the state's program. A spokesperson said it has been beneficial in detecting asymptomatic individuals there.

But health officials have not yet decided if the multimillion-dollar program will be extended to the next school year. The CDC still recommends testing in schools to lower community spread and keep schools open.