COVID-19 Testing

At the elementary level, each classroom will be a cohort for pool testing. In middle and high school, each first period class will be tested. The test will be self-administered by each student and adult in the classroom, while a trained teacher or COVID supervisor observes. Instead of the “long swab” that goes in the back of the nose, this test is a short, small swab (like a Q-Tip) that goes just in the front of the nose. You can learn more about the testing process by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.

The cohort or first period class where a positive test is found will be asked to complete a confirmatory test. Everyone will receive at least a 24-hour notice with time and location and other details for the confirmatory test, which will be at a central District site. Families will be able to set up their own account to submit their insurance information and receive confirmatory testing results. Families and staff members are welcome to seek their own confirmatory testing. They will need to provide an official document from a credible provider on their letterhead that has the date of the test, student’s name and a clear negative result. If all confirmatory tests for that cohort or first period class return negative, students and staff may return to school.

The confirmatory test is important as it allows the District to conduct contact tracing and notify those who have been exposed. This will help minimize the spread of COVID-19, especially with the more infectious variants present in our region.

For the health and safety of our students and staff, we are asking families to complete a form indicating your consent for your student to participate in academic batch testing. Your principal will email the link to the form. Having your child tested for COVID-19 in school is quick and easy.

Families who wish to opt out of batch testing may select opt-out on the form, which will be sent by your principal. If a student or staff member is opted out of testing, but their classroom or first-period class cohort has a positive COVID test result, they will still be required to quarantine for 14 days.

People are considered fully vaccinated:

• 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
• 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

2-4 times a month based on community transmission rates

At this time we do not have exact numbers. We will have more information once we start testing at all schools.

There is no cost associated with batch testing

If your student's cohort tests positive we will offer confirmatory PCR testing. The lab we are working with can bill your insurance.

Your insurance will be billed, if you do not have insurance you will not get charged. Learn more about the Cares Act.

If you are in a positive batch we highly recommend follow up testing to determine who within the cohort is positive. Individuals who have a positive test result should refrain from batch future testing for the next 90 days as a false positive may occur. 

If a student’s cohort batch is positive and the student was not part of the batch testing then they are exempt from quarantine with proof of full vaccination and the appropriate 14 day wait period has passed to obtain full immunity.

If a student’s cohort batch is positive and they were part of the batch testing then they will need to quarantine and provide a negative confirmatory test.

Pooled or batch testing is a screening test. See below from the CDC:

Definition of Screening Testing
Screening tests for SARS-CoV-2 are intended to identify occurrence at the individual level even if there is no reason to suspect infection—e.g., there is no known exposure. This includes, but is not limited to, screening of non-symptomatic individuals without known exposure with the intent of making decisions based on the test results. Screening tests are intended to identify infected individuals without, or prior to development of, symptoms who may be contagious so that measures can be taken to prevent further transmission. Examples of screening include testing plans developed by a workplace to test its employees, and testing plans developed by a school to test its students, faculty, and staff. In both examples, the intent is to use the screening testing results to determine who may return and the protective measures that will be taken.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/pooling-procedures.html

The scientific evidence shows that the youngest students are less likely to become positive and transmit the virus. Also, given that the tests are self-administered, it is difficult for students under 2nd grade to administer.

The District cannot legally require mandatory testing.

Students 18 years old should fill out their own consent form.

The number of participants in a specific batch will vary based on how many students in that classroom have opted in to be part of the batch testing.

If your child has had COVID in the last 90 days it is recommend he/she not be a part of batch testing. At this time we are not exempting students with past history of COVID-19.

Opting out of testing will not effect your eligibility to attend in-person learning next year.

It is too early to determine what 2021-22 school year testing will look like. We continue to work with our local health departments to monitor and adjust our COVID response.

Both the batch test and the confirmatory PCR tests that the district is using are shallow nasal swab tests that are self-administered.

A "Yes" answer to this question should apply only if your student is going to pursue confirmatory (PCR) testing. This does not apply to your student being batch tested.

Group A students are currently batch tested on Mondays. If a batch from that group comes back positive, the students in that batch can be individually individually tested that Friday. Group B students are currently batch tested on Fridays. If their batch comes back positive, they can be individually tested on the following Tuesday.

The Northshore School District is required to follow through on contact tracing. If we are unable to identify the positive student in the class the safest option is to continue to quarantine. Also, if your student's contact to a positive person was today and they had a COVID test tomorrow their viral load would not be great enough to trigger a positive test. It is best to test five days after the last exposure to the COVID positive individual.

Classroom batch testing is only for those students grade 2 - 12 who are engaged in in-person learning.

Students are who are in quarantine will be able to participate in remote learing according to the remote learning schedule. If you have any questions, be sure to contact your teacher(s) or principal.

This testing program can help each school stay open by reducing the number of COVID cases spread unknowingly in a population where positive cases are increasing.

We are not providing any student-specific information to our batch testing lab partner.

See above for elementary students. For secondary students, we are identifying suspected close contacts within the classroom and following up with our contact tracing and quarantine protocols.

Elementary students require extra precautions due to the length of time spent in the class room as a cohort as well as the fact that they eat in the classroom with their masks off.

If a family notifies us of a positive confirmatory test for a remote student we handle it differently for elementary vs secondary students. For elementary students we will add a nursing note in Synergy and track quarantine dates. For secondary students, we will need to track them because they may be part of outside activities such as sports/prom/graduation.

At this time, we are not keeping records of COVID vaccinations on site. Your school nurse can access the WAIIS to verify vaccination status of a student.