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City Assures COVID-19 Test Samples Collected From NYC Schoolkids Are Not Being Sold
By
Sophia Chang
Published Oct 24, 2020
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Frank Franklin II/AP/Shutterstock
By
Sophia Chang
Published Oct 24, 2020
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Since schools reopened in New York City last month, some teachers and parents have questioned what the city is doing with the tens of thousands of test samples collected from schoolchildren during the mandatory random COVID-19 tests.
As part of the agreement with the United Federation of Teachers union to reopen schools for in-person learning, on October 9th the city Department of Education started conducting monthly testing at all schools of 10-20% of the in-person students and staff. The school testing, using the shallow swab method, is mandatory for in-person learning. Students who decline to participate will eventually be moved to full-time remote learning.
In addition to staff from city agencies and school nurses to perform testing, the DOE contracted with the SOMOS Network to perform some of the testing at the city’s 1,600 schools. Testing samples are sent to BioReference Laboratory and Fulgent Genetics for processing.
In particular, the California-based Fulgent Genetics has raised questions about whether it will be “allowed to catalogue teacher and student DNA in their 'proprietary reference library of genetic information’ for the company’s own private profit” wrote teacher and former UFT union delegate Michael Kane on a website dedicated to covering school issues.
The city DOE has categorically denied that the samples collected from students and staff will be used beyond testing for COVID-19.
“We would never, ever sell sensitive health information or allow third-party companies to profit off of our students’ confidential information,” said DOE spokesperson Nathaniel Styer in an email Friday. "Fulgent Genetics certified that human DNA is not tested or stored, specimens are discarded immediately after testing is completed, and all patient information is protected under federal, state, and city laws. COVID-19 testing is a critical part of safely reopening our schools and test results are only shared with the City and State Departments of Health authorities working to keep schools healthy."
A request for comment to Fulgent was not immediately returned Saturday.
Kane said in an email on Saturday that he remains concerned about the language in the consent forms that parents must sign. He cited a letter sent to the DOE Thursday from attorney Michael Sussman about the DOE’s “Specimen Collection Agreement” that “gives little or no information directly from that agreement. Since DNA comes directly from the physical specimen provided on a swab, we believe it is impossible to know for sure what contractors are, and are not, allowed to do with student and teacher DNA without reading this specific agreement,” Sussman wrote in asking for a copy of the agreement. The DOE has published additional information about the agreements with SOMOS, BioReference and Fulgent on its website.
Styer said BioReference and Fulgent have “proactively affirmed that they destroy COVID-19 specimens as soon as a clinical result is successfully issued.” The results are sent to state and city health departments, as per protocol for all communicable diseases, as well as the city's Test & Trace Corps to handle school building closures as necessary.
“These entities operate under strict privacy and confidentiality protocols,” Styer added. “If you went to your regular doctor and had a strep test (where they send it to lab for culture) or blood test or a COVID test, it would be handled exactly the same way.”
Tagged
COVID-19
coronavirus
schools reopening
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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