Canton Public Schools: Student Opt-In Information For At-Home Antigen Tests

Press release from Canton Public Schools:

Leah Comins

January 26, 2022

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, effective January 31. 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 at-home testing option will begin the week of January 24 (for staff) and January 31 (for students). In addition to this new at-home antigen test option, we will continue with Pooled Testing and Symptomatic Testing during the week.

As part of this shift in the program, we are discontinuing Test and Stay and contact tracing for in-school close contacts. This means that if you are a potential contact in school, you may continue to come to school and do not have to quarantine. (Our Nursing Team will use their professional discretion if a unique situation or scenario calls for contact tracing.)

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 Wednesday, January 26  3 p.m. to opt-in. TO OPT-IN, please complete this STUDENT  OPT-IN GOOGLE FORM. This is a one-time OPT-IN for the distribution of tests through April. If you do not want to opt-in, please complete the form and designate as such. If you have questions, please contact Nurse Leader Lauren Pushard at pushardl@cantonma.org or District Resource Nurse Irene Keefe at keefei@cantonma.org. Distribution logistics to be determined.

Please fill out the Student Opt-In Google Form once for EACH child.

• 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 STUDENT OPT-IN GOOGLE FORM. By opting in, you will agree to review the training materials for test administration, report positive test results, and administer the tests according to Canton Public School guidelines.
• Weekly: Every two weeks your child will receive an iHealth at-home rapid test kit at school. Each kit contains two individual tests. You will administer one test each week on Thursdays.
• Reporting Positive Test Results: If you test positive on an at-home antigen test, you will report the positive result to your building nurse.  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), allowing the nurses to focus on symptomatic testing and communication with staff, students and families. It also allows flexibility to do testing in the home at no cost to families.

 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 results?

• Submit Results: You must submit positive test results to your building nurse.
• 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.

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