Grafton schools will distribute at-home Covid tests in February

Grafton students will receive at-home COVID-19 testing kits starting the week of February 7, but first there’s a bit of homework for parents: you need to fill out a form and opt-in.

The school system recently discontinued the Test and Stay and contact tracing for in-school for close contacts.

“This means that if your child is a potential contact in school, they may continue to come to school and do not have to quarantine,” a letter to parents read. “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 February 1 to opt-in.”

Schools will continue with routine symptomatic testing during the week.

The schools will be distributing the iHealth Covid Test, a 15-minute at-home FDA-approved rapid antigen test.

• Opt-In: To participate, you must opt in by completing this online opt-in form (https://forms.gle/bJ5pYVLX8G31WF1q7). By opting in, you will agree to review the training materials for test administration and report positive test results using the Positive Test Result Notification form link below. 
• 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 Tuesdays (Tuesday is selected to capture transmission that may have taken place over the weekend). 
• 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 (https://forms.gle/5UZmns9xHtDQJDtG9) 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. 
• If a student has tested positive for COVID in the past 90 days, the student will not participate in the testing.

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