Keeping your students safe and in school at Groton-Dunstable 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. This change will become effective upon receipt of the shipment of at-home tests. We are opting in to an at-home testing program that will increase the testing of our participating students and staff, regardless of vaccination status. Please click here for more information about this update to the statewide testing program. The at-home testing option will begin on January 31, provided we get the appropriate number of at-home tests by February 3rd. If the shipment is delayed, we will move the date out accordingly.
In addition to this new at-home antigen test option, we will continue with pooled testing during the week – Tuesdays for the high school, middle school, and Boutwell and Wednesday for Swallow and Florence Roche. As part of this shift in the program, we are discontinuing Test and Stay and contact tracing for detailed in-school close contacts once the at-home tests have been received and distributed. We will still be sending home emails to inform parents if a peer in their student’s elementary class has tested positive if a peer in their middle school team has tested positive, or a peer in their high school grade has tested positive. This means, if your child is a potential contact in school and they are asymptomatic, they may continue to come to school and do not have to quarantine. 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 26th to opt-in. If you have questions, please contact your school’s nurse.
COVID-19 Testing Programs in our Schools:
- At-Home Rapid Antigen Testing on Saturday or Sunday.
- Routine COVID Safety Checks every week as per the current schedule.
- Symptomatic Testing whenever a student is exhibiting symptoms in school.
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 online form. By opting in, you will agree to review the training materials for test administration, report positive test results to your student’s school, and administer the tests according to Groton-Dunstable guidelines
- Weekly: Every two weeks you will receive an iHealth at-home rapid test kit. Each kit contains two individual tests. Your student will administer one test each week on Saturday/Sunday.
- Reporting Positive Test Results: If your student tests positive on an at-home antigen test, you will inform their school of the positive result using the Positive Test Result Notification form. The school 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 a family’s flexibility to do testing in the home for free.
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 to your student’s school. Click here to submit a positive test of your results.
- Confidentiality: Positive test results are shared with your school district for informational purposes only. Individual results will remain confidential, and they will never be made public.
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