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, 2022. We are opting into an at-home testing program that will increase testing of our participating students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.
The at-home testing option will begin shortly after Jan. 31, 2022.
In addition to this new at-home antigen test option, we will continue with routine COVID Safety checks and/or 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 your child is a potential contact in school, they may continue to come to school and do not have to quarantine. 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 January 28, 2022 to opt-in. If you have questions, please contact your school’s nurse.
For more information about this update to the statewide testing program, please click here.
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 [opt-in form]. By opting in, you will agree to review the training materials for test administration, report positive test results to your student’s school, and administer the tests according to Easthampton’s guidelines.
- 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 the day indicated by the school principal.
- 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]. 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.
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 student’s school. Positive Test Result Notification form to submit positive test results. Click here for Positive Test Result Notification Form
- Confidentiality: Positive test results are shared with your school district for informational purposes only. Individual results will remain confidential, and they will never be made public.
If your student has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days, they should not sign up for this program at this time. After 90 days, your student is eligible to enroll in this program and will be able to receive the home test kits.