COVID Surveillance Testing

COVID Surveillance Testing

 

September 7, 2021

 

Dear Families and Staff Members:

LaFayette Central School District will be partnering with the Onondaga County Health Department to conduct COVID testing in our schools, beginning on Tuesday September 14th. All schools will conduct surveillance testing every week on Tuesday for randomized groups of students and staff who have provided consent for testing. All testing is voluntary and requires consent.

• This testing will be done for the following purposes: 1) surveillance testing intended to determine the general level of virus in our community and 2) provide diagnostic testing for those who develop COVID-like symptoms during the school day. If a student or staff member develops symptoms outside of school hours, do not report to school and contact your medical provider before returning to school or seek COVID testing at a location in the community. For more information on community testing locations for those who may develop symptoms outside of school hours, visit: https://covid19.ongov.net/appointments/ 

•  Parents/guardians who wish to have their students participate in this testing must complete a COVID testing consent form.  This consent form covers testing for the entire 2021-22 school year.  Completed consent forms should be returned to the school nurse’s office.  Here is a link to this form: COVID Testing Consent Form.  

  • Please note there are three options on the consent form: surveillance testing only, or diagnostic testing only, or both surveillance and diagnostic testing.

• Along with completing this consent form, those participating in this testing must create a personal account with Quadrant Laboratories.  COVID testing results will be communicated via this personal account.  Here is a link to the Quadrant Laboratories website where you can create an account:  Quadrant Registration Portal. Below is a link with additional information to assist with registration. If you have children in multiple schools, be sure to click add profile for each student: 

  • How to Create a Student Profile

• The tests being used are saliva based PCR tests.  Please note that the surveillance testing will be done via pool testing.  Positive pool results will lead to short-term quarantine (typically 24-48 hours), until individual test results are processed in order to determine specifically who within the initial pool is positive for COVID. School nurses will use a standard process for selecting randomized students and staff members for testing each Tuesday.

• This testing is at no cost to you, however, it will be billed through insurance if your child is tested as required by the Federal CARES Act. Quadrant has assured school districts and the county that there will be no bills issued to families or staff members who participate in this surveillance testing program. Unvaccinated staff members who are required to provide weekly COVID test results to the school district should not rely on this testing program to meet this testing requirement since testing will be randomized.

Additional information regarding COVID testing in our schools will be forthcoming. All testing is voluntary and requires consent.

Thank you in advance for helping to keep our schools safe during the pandemic.

 

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

 

Sincerely,

Jeremy Belfield

Superintendent of Schools

LaFayette Central School District

jbelfield@lafayetteschools.org

315-529-9550 (cell)