One year after weekly testing and Daily Pass requirements on campus, Venice High’s COVID-19 protocols have changed this year.

According to assistant principal Yavonka Hairston-Truitt, students now will hold themselves accountable instead of having set protocols this year.

“Everyone is to self-assess themselves for the twelve possible symptoms that relate to COVID-19, and you should not come to school if you test positive,” she said.  

Hairston-Truitt said how some parents aren’t entirely happy about removing Daily Passes as an entry for school. 

“Since it’s an honor system, I don’t think we will have a true answer to who has COVID-19,” she said.    

The reason for removing the testing system this year is because it was costly in the funding sense. Last year, Venice High hosted a COVID-19 testing staff to conduct testing for the community every week. This system was also taking away instructional time from students on all grade levels. 

Junior John Zurita said that Daily Passes being removed is a great thing because it caused too much of a hassle. 

“With the Daily Pass I had to walk through the front and walk all the way to the back of the school,” he said.

Campus aide Denis Cervantes said that the community should be more careful with this year’s new policy.  

“To me, the system we had last year should’ve been kept at least for another year,” he said. “I would have stuck with what we had before. You’re going to have a lot of kids that don’t know if they have it or not,” he said. 

With this new relaxation of  COVID-19 protocols, students and staff alike have been working to navigate the new situation.