On February 9, the first of a series of three COVID-19 vaccination clinics held at the PPS administrative building on Valley Road opened its doors, marking the beginning of a district-wide effort to increase the availability of booster shots. The implementation of these new vaccination clinics as well as the continuation of the free weekly COVID-19 testing program at PHS aims to continue to keep the school community safe during the pandemic.

While it is only one of many measures that the district has taken against COVID-19, the weekly testing has been successful in catching cases before they spread. The testing program offered at PHS is the result of a grant program by the state of New Jersey aimed to slow the spread of COVID-19 in schools across the state.

“This is a surveillance testing program with the goal [of identifying] COVID-19 positive students who are asymptomatic [in order] to minimize spread of the disease,” said Micki Crisafulli, PPS Director of Student Services. In any given week, about 50 PHS students participate in the testing. Other elementary and middle schools within the school district report a similar number of students getting tested weekly.

“At our elementary schools, the company sends a technician to collect the samples. At the middle and high school, the company sends packs of vials that are sent home and collected the next day,” Crisafulli said. The testing provided at PPS is called pool testing. In the testing, student participants collect and submit their saliva samples, which are then added to a sample pool. If a positive COVID-19 result is detected in the sample pool, each saliva sample is tested individually using the PCR testing method to determine whether or not it is positive. In general, students find the saliva testing procedures easy to follow.

“I simply spit into a tube and give it to the school,” said Edward Cao ’24. “It is very easy and doesn’t hurt since you don’t have to stick something up your nose.”Coupled with the free testing, the Princeton Health Department has started to offer weekly vaccine clinics at different locations such as the YMCA. Kathy Korwin, a public health nurse for the Princeton Health Department, believes that the increased availability of the vaccine during this pandemic continues to be an essential piece to Princeton’s success.

“It’s important to get the vaccine out. It has been a journey... [and] we have started partnering with everybody. We started with partnering with the senior centers, then we partnered with the schools,” said Korwin. “Actually, one of our most successful clinics is partnering with the people who own the bodegas on Witherspoon street who know their population. They were so kind, and they broadcasted it to people who live in that area, and we were able to go at six o’clock in the morning and give it to people who [were] coming out for their jobs.”

After offering the first few clinics, Korwin noticed a public need for uncomplicated vaccination access and began to advertise vaccination opportunities more. “After we did boosters, more people came. And then we also started doing [the clinics] at night when people got dropped off [after work], because so many people get picked up to go work someplace else, and then they get dropped off [to go home],” said Korwin. “We also had other people give food to be able to have a festive atmosphere to make them feel safe getting the shots ... this translated to more people getting the shots.”

Partially due to a series of district efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, infection numbers have continued to drop since the peak in mid January. Even with decreasing COVID-19 cases though, Korwin believes that it’s still important for students to not get complacent with protocols, testing, and vaccine distribution.

“As there were fewer cases, there was less demand. They didn’t think that they needed the vaccine or they thought that ‘Oh, yeah. COVID is going away’ ... it is definitely a constant battle reminding them how important [the vaccine] is,” Korwin said.

Both Rodriguez and the parent group agree that in order to truly address the inequities in mathematics, the district needs to begin from early stages of schooling such as elementary school, not just at the high school level.

“We need to make sure that we’re focusing from the ground level as well. Like, what types of mathematical programs and practices are we putting into the elementary schools, so that by the time they’re middle schoolers or high schoolers, we know how to tap into those resources and use them to maximize their education,” Rodriguez said.

Amidst these conversations, PHS students also voiced their opinions and reflected on their personal math tracks. Sarah Villamil ’22 chose to take AP Calculus AB because she always had a passion for math and felt grateful that her public school education offered such advanced courses.

“I personally have an interest in math, and I think it’s an advantage [to have APs] because I’m able to challenge myself to do what I want,” Villamil said.

Students also recognize the lack of diversity in their accelerated classes. Precalculus Accelerated student Adam Stein ’24 noticed that his classmates are composed of familiar faces each year.

“I definitely think that there should be more diversity between the classes. I think that it should be our goal to be more inclusive and more diverse,” Stein said.

As the math department continues to work in accordance with the strategic planning committee on increasing equity, students have also offered potential solutions.

“I think that if they’re going to offer math courses in the summer, it should be offered to everybody for free,” said Villamil. “I think that that’s the solution to making our math program more equitable, not taking away our AP courses.”

Going into the next school year, the district is only looking toward expanding the math programs. And in the end, although there were many frustrations shared, the discussions that occurred as a result of this board meeting allowed the community to reevaluate its goals and methods.

“In closing, I would just remind us to ask questions. Get all of the information. It’s healthy to have opinions. And at the same time, sometimes there are ‘uncontrollables,’ and sometimes we just have to trust the process and, and communicate in ways that are effective,” Rodriguez said.