Link to Consent Form

Date: February 6, 2021

Dear parents, caregivers, and guardians,

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 several 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.  I have attached a power point presentation that was given earlier this week to the staff and community.

The pooled tests will be performed at least once per week with a shallow nasal swab for all participating students and staff members. 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 notified if your child requires follow-up testing. Our school district will be providing the Abbott BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Diagnostic Tests for follow-up testing, so that students or staff in a positive pool can be tested as soon as possible and receive individual results in 15 minutes.

Our staff has been thoroughly trained on how to administer pooled testing, as well as the Abbott BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Diagnostic Tests, if they are needed for follow-up testing.   Your child’s school nurse, the Director of Nurses, Mary Giuliana or building principal will notify you if your child is part of a positive pool and requires follow-up testing. The Reading Public Schools will also notify you of the individual follow-up test results and if your child is positive or negative and what to do in each scenario.

The Reading Public Schools will report all follow-up test results to DPH.  The Reading Public Schools will also provide positive follow-up test results (without names or other identifying information) to DESE’s Rapid Response Help Unit.

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, consent for any necessary follow up tests, and consent to share the test result information with the Department of Public Health and CIC Health (a third party [non-profit] organization contracted to compile consent for testing and to share test results), please complete this online consent form no later than Thursday, February 11^th.  We have attached a word version of the document to you to review prior to completing the form online.   Please note that all students that participate in person for athletics or extra-curricular activities are required to be tested to continue to participate in these activities.

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. Each school in our district is excited to add pooled testing as another mitigation strategy for our school community, as we continue to work to work together toward the safe return of all students and staff to school.

If you have questions regarding the COVID-19 Pooled Testing Program, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Link to Consent Form

Thank you,

John F. Doherty, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools