SPS At-Home Antigen Rapid Test Opt-In Letter For Families

Dear Parents/Caregivers:

At Shrewsbury Public Schools, keeping our students safe and in school is our top priority. We are writing to let you know, in accordance with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Public Health (DPH), our district is updating our COVID-19 Testing Program, effective January 31st. We are opting into an at-home testing program that will increase testing of our participating students and staff, regardless of vaccination status. For more information about this update to the statewide testing program, please click here.

The addition of the at-home testing option will begin in early February. In addition to this new at-home antigen test option, we will continue with routine COVID safety checks (pooled testing) and/or symptomatic testing during the week. As part of this shift in the program, we are discontinuing the Test and Stay Program and contact tracing for inschool close contacts. This new at-home testing opportunity is voluntary and only those who opt in will receive tests. We strongly encourage you to fill out the form by January 27th to opt in so that you can start as soon as the test kits are ready. We’ll leave the Opt-In form open until the program ends. The new At-Home Rapid Test requires a second and different opt in process from the previously implemented Weekly Pooled Testing Program (see #1 below).

If you have questions, please contact covidtesting@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us.

COVID-19 Testing Programs in our Schools:

1. At-Home Rapid Antigen Testing: Test kits will be distributed every other Wednesday for testing at home on Wednesday evening before coming to school on Thursdays. Students who opt in for testing will receive a 2-pack of test kits every other week. These tests are to be used only for the student for surveillance testing weekly, not for symptomatic testing.

*************Click this link to opt in: https://forms.gle/AcdamtnYDoV93xL3A

2. Routine COVID Safety Checks (pooled testing) every Tuesday (test kits distributed on Mondays). If you have not yet signed up and would like to participate, here is the link for consent: https://www.cichealth.com/consent/ma?district=null#consent

3. Symptomatic Testing is available at our testing location on Maple Ave. Testing must be approved before arrival at the site. Please email rapidtest@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us AND your school nurse to request approval for testing. Please include your child’s full name and information regarding symptoms and any close contacts to a positive case.

Overview: At-Home Rapid Testing Program

• About the at-home test kits: iHealth is a 15-minute at-home FDA-approved rapid antigen test.
• Opt-In: To participate, you must opt in by completing the opt-in form linked above. By opting in, you will agree to review the training materials for test administration, report positive test results, and administer the tests according to SPS guidelines. Please refer to this link: https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/district/covid-testing-information for more information.
• Test Kit Distribution: Every two weeks your child will receive a 2-pack of iHealth at-home rapid test kits at school. Only those who have completed the Opt-In Form will be on the student roster and authorized to receive a kit. Each kit contains two individual tests. You will assist your child to administer one test each week on Wednesday evening before coming to school on Thursday.
• Reporting Positive Test Results: If your child tests positive on an at-home antigen test, you must send a confidential email to your child’s school nurse (see below for school nurse emails). The district will keep the results confidential and will not make individual results public. In addition, it is strongly recommended that you inform your healthcare professional of the positive result. Negative results do not need to be reported.
• Easy, Free, and Flexible: This test is administered at home (not at school), reducing the burden on school staff to administer tests, and increasing your flexibility to do testing in the home for free.
• It is NOT recommended that individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days test again until the 90 days have elapsed.

**This program is being financed by the State of Massachusetts and administered by the MA Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education for the protection of staff and students in our public schools.

 

How do I administer the test?

● Click here or copy the link below into your browser for a full “how to” written guide in various languages

https://www.mass.gov/lists/covid-19-self-test-at-home-instructions-graphic

● Click here or copy the link below into your browser for a video of an individual self-testing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAzos3k6aCY&t=14s

 

School nurse email addresses:

Parker Road Preschool - Rachael Tucker - rtucker@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Beal School - Ann Lambert - alambert@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Coolidge School - Sandy Sorenson - ssorenson@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Floral Street School - Kristin Stewich - kstewich@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us         Maureen Pellizzari - mpellizzari@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Spring Street School - Rebecca Carle - rcarle@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Paton School - Lisa Smith - lsmith@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Sherwood Middle School - Kristin Franger and Linda Berard - sherwoodnurses@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Oak Middle School - Lisa Arteca and Loreen Yearick - oaknurse@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Shrewsbury High School - Pam Johnson, Brenda Filiere, and Michele Rogers - shsnurses@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us