Information and Consent Asymptomatic Student COVID Testing
February 2, 2021
Dear Families:
Thank you for your continued partnership during this unprecedented school year. In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we have been working closely with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) to implement a free COVID-19 pooled testing program for students and staff at our school.
The purpose of this letter is to ask your permission to regularly test your child as part of a pooled testing program at our school. Pooled testing involves mixing 10 individuals’ test samples together into one “pool” and then testing the pooled sample for COVID-19. This approach increases the number of individuals that can be tested at one time and allows us to regularly test our school community for COVID-19.
The pooled tests will be performed weekly with a shallow nasal swab for all participating students and staff members. Students in grades 2 through 12 will self-swab. Grade one students and younger will be swabbed by a nurse. Schools will receive the pool results within 24-48 hours. If the result of the pool is negative, then all individuals are presumed to not have COVID-19. If the result of the pool is positive, then all individuals in the pool must be retested individually. Because pooled testing does not give individual results, you will only be individually notified if your child requires follow-up testing. Additional information is noted below on the following documents:
We will begin weekly testing on February 22, 2021. To give permission for your student to participate in the COVID-19 Pooled Testing Program at our school, including consent to transmit student information via the pooled testing technology platform and consent to share the test result information with the Department of Public Health, CIC Health (a third party organization contracted to compile consent for testing and to share test results), and the Broad Institute (lab that processes the tests), please complete this form by Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Please complete the form for each child in your family.
A PDF of the consent form in its entirety is found here.
We will host a webinar on Monday, February 8, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. that will be recorded and shared that evening. The Zoom link is found at the bottom of this email. Please let your school nurse know if you have additional questions.
We are extremely grateful to our committed staff and families that continue to show great flexibility and resilience as we navigate through this school year. It takes all of us working together to contain the spread of this virus. We are excited to add pooled testing as another mitigation strategy for our school community.
Best,
Laurie
Webinar
Monday, February 8, 2021 2:30 p.m.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://concordps.zoom.us/j/95718912326?pwd=dENBaU1PcmlldGFReTIwb2psK2J5UT09
Passcode: 766521
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +13126266799,,95718912326#,,,,*766521# or +19292056099,,95718912326#,,,,*766521#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782
Webinar ID: 957 1891 2326
Passcode: 766521
International numbers available: https://concordps.zoom.us/u/ao1T8ksU0