Andover Public Schools: DESE At-Home COVID-19 Testing Program

Press release from Andover Public Schools:

February 3, 2022

February 3, 2022

Dear APS families, 

Andover Public Schools has now received test kits for those students who have opted in to DESE’s At Home testing program.  Kits will be distributed at school buildings and you should expect to see kits arriving home with your children today.  

As a reminder, students who participate will receive one kit every two weeks to test themselves – each kit contains 2 tests and each individual should test once per week. Individuals can choose which day they would like to administer their weekly test, based on needs or symptoms.

If an individual tests positive at home, they should enter this result in the Aspen Portal. Schools will report the number of positive cases to DESE as part of the weekly COVID-19 reporting already in place. As a result of this new testing program, school administrators and nurses will no longer be performing the Test & Stay option or individualized contact tracing across the district. 

Important information regarding the program: 

The test is the iHealth 15-minute at-home FDA-approved rapid antigen test. 

Those who opt-in to the program should test weekly, regardless of vaccination status or whether or not they are experiencing symptoms. If your child is experiencing symptoms, we encourage you to take the test immediately. 

 Please visit  the APS COVID-19 webpage for updated information. 

Rita Casper MBA RN NCSN

APS Director of Nursing

Andover Public Schools 

This press release was produced by Andover Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.