Polled Testing Information and Consent Form
Dear Parents, Caregivers, and Guardians: Thank you for your continued collaboration 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 non-symptomatic students and staff at our school. This free program runs through April 18, 2021. At that point, we will assess the program to determine if it is something we will continue to implement. WHAT IS POOLED TESTING? Pooled testing involves mixing several individual’s test samples together into one “pool” and then testing the pooled sample for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This method increases the number of individuals who can be tested at one time and allows us to regularly monitor our students and staff for the presence of COVID-19. HOW IS POOL TESTING IMPLEMENTED? Pool