Consent for Yellow Zone Rapid Testing
Dear NCS Families:
As you know, school districts located in regions designated as “yellow zones” are required to test 20% of in-person students, faculty, and staff for COVID-19 on a bi-weekly basis in order to avoid transitioning to a learning model that is 100% remote. Although NCS is not currently located in a “yellow zone,” we want to make sure we are prepared to seamlessly implement all required safety protocols if positivity rates increase in our area.
With this in mind, we are asking parents and employees to consent to free rapid testing ahead of time in the event that NCS ends up in a “yellow zone” by filling out this digital form (click here). If completed, NCS would have the authorization to begin testing in order to remain open for in-person learning.
I understand that schools have not been tasked with testing in the past, and that the idea likely raises a number of questions and concerns. However, yesterday morning I went through the training with our school nurses, and wanted to share that the rapid tests:
- Are provided by the Department of Health at no cost to families
- Involve a quick swab of the lower part of the nose as opposed to more invasive procedures
- Provide results that are 95% reliable within 15 minutes
- Would be administered by our trained school nurses at NCS
We hope that we never have to administer rapid tests in our District, but we are committed to doing everything we can to stay open for in-person learning. Please know that we appreciate your willingness to consider proactively filling out this consent form, and that we would notify our school family immediately if we ended up in a “yellow zone.” As always, thank you for your trust and support, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you would like to talk in more detail (mfrahm@naplescsd.org, 585-374-7901).
Sincerely,
Matt
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