TSA to offer testing of COVID-19
TSA remains committed to help us stay safe in school and we recognized that students and staff having to quarantine in response to positive cases in our school community can be disruptive.
To respond to these challenges, TSA will launch PCR testing the week of November 15 and Test to Stay after Thanksgiving Break, the week of November 28. These free COVID-19 testing tools for students and staff will help protect our students, staff, family members, and others who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 or are otherwise at risk for getting seriously sick from COVID-19.
These testing tools are intended to help identify COVID-19 cases quickly and also support keeping as many kids in school as possible. Our aim is to limit disruptions to in-person learning and activities while continuing to do our part to limit the spread of COVID-19.
We are working with the Vermont Department of Health and Agency of Education and are joining other school districts throughout the state that offer this program. Below is a description of the testing types that TSA will offer. We may be utilizing more than one testing type at any given time, since each has a different purpose.
All testing is voluntary and will require consent.
The state’s consent form will allow your student to access any applicable tests outlined below. Please note two things about the first page of the state consent form:
- Ignore the message outlining that the program is only in response to a positive case in schools. This is not the case.
- We are not currently participating in the LAMP test or the separate surveillance testing program mentioned. If that changes, we will let you know.
We will administer two kinds of tests at The Sharon Academy:
- A PCR test is a very accurate test using a nasal swab. The swab is sent to a laboratory and results are generally available in 48 to 72 hours. These are the same type of tests you can currently receive at area medical centers, state testing sites, and doctor’s offices. The goal in offering these at school is just to increase their accessibility.
- An Antigen test also uses a nasal swab. While antigen tests are less sensitive than PCR tests, when used over several consecutive days, as we plan to do, they are highly effective at identifying infectious individuals. These will only be used by unvaccinated individuals. An important advantage of antigen tests is that our school can get the results right here at school in less than 30 minutes.
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To participate in any of these testing programs, you need to complete this consent form.
Note: Before Thanksgiving break testing will be offered only at the Middle School because the high school community will be in Randolph for Interim.
- If a student wakes up symptomatic and wants to get a test at school, please email Andrew Lane to arrange a test.
- Students who become symptomatic while at Chandler need to arrange to stop by the middle school on their way home to get a test.
- Depending on their travel patterns, it might make more sense to get a test completed elsewhere.
After Thanksgiving Break, testing will happen at both the middle and high school locations. Because these tests are being sent via UPS to a lab in Massachusetts , all testing needs to be completed before noon. If a person becomes symptomatic after that day’s tests have been shipped, we cannot test them till the following day to ensure valid results.
To learn more about these various testing options, feel free to visit the AOE’s “Testing at a Glance” site.
We are extremely grateful to our committed families and staff who continue to show great flexibility and resilience as we work together to contain the spread of this virus.