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 31, 2022. 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 transition to the at-home testing option will begin the week of January 31, 2022, with the first student at-home testing day set for February 8, 2022.
As part of
this shift in the program, we are discontinuing the use of the MedBot daily
screener, contact tracing for in-school close contacts, and the Test and Stay protocol. We
will continue symptomatic testing during the week. This new at-home testing
opportunity is voluntary and only
those who opt-in will receive tests. Please fill out the form by 6:00pm February 6, 2022, to opt-in. If you have questions, please
contact your school nurse.
COVID-19
Testing Programs in our Schools:
- At-Home Rapid Antigen Testing on Tuesdays
beginning February 8th. / MERSD At-Home Testing
Opt-In-Click Here
- Symptomatic Testing (If
you have not yet signed up, click here)
Overview:
At-Home Rapid Testing Program
~About
the Test:
iHealth is a 15-minute at-home FDA-approved
rapid antigen test
~Opt-In:
To
participate, you must opt-in by completing the MERSD At-Home Testing
Opt-In.
- Please
complete a separate form for each student participating.
- By
opting in, you will agree to review the training materials for test
administration, report positive test results, and administer the tests
according to MERSD’s guidelines.
- If you opt-in you will receive a follow-up email with
information on how tests will be distributed.
~Weekly: Every two weeks you
will receive an iHealth at-home rapid test kit. Each kit contains two
individual tests. You will administer one test each week on Tuesdays beginning February 8th.
~Reporting
Positive Test Results: If you test positive on an at-home antigen test, you
will report the positive result using the MedBot notification link. Each
Tuesday you will receive a MedBot notification reminding you to submit your
testing result. 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.
~Easy,
Free, and Flexible: This test is administered at home (not at school),
reducing the burden on school staff and time to administer tests and increasing
your flexibility to do testing in the home for free.
~As
always if you are feeling please stay home.
How
do I administer the test?
- Click here
for a full “how-to”
written guide in various languages
- Click here
for a video
of an individual self-testing
How
do I submit the results?
- Submit Results:
You must submit positive test results. Each Tuesday you will
receive a MedBot notification reminding you to submit your testing result.
- Confidentiality: Positive test results are shared with the district for informational purposes only. Individual results will remain confidential, and they will never be made public.
