BVCSD is working with The Essex County Health Department for our COVID Testing.
COVID Testing is optional for students.
COVID Testing is required for unvaccinated employees.
Please reference the following documents to learn about what is being offered and to answer your questions.
School Family Letter_follow up testing instructions
COVID-19 School Based Testing Consent_hard copy
Parents+COVID+Flyer-from+school
Frequently Asked Questions:
Are students required to get tested?
-No. Parents must opt-in to this testing. Please see the documents above to learn about the registration process and the testing process.
When and where will the testing take place?
-This is subject to change: MVC 11:00am on Wednesdays (Starting 10/6/21); LVC 1:00 pm on Wednesdays (starting 10/6/21)
Who will be doing the testing?
-Testing is being organized through The Essex County Health Department. An ECHD employee or a BVCSD nurse will be doing the testing.
Who can get tested?
-Any BVCSD student. Based on the number of students, they may get tested each week, or randomly as part of the sample testing
Why are we testing?
-There are two reasons to test. The first is for general screening purposes. Many districts across the state and the country have found success in catching COVID cases early through this testing process. This screening model is recommended by the CDC and is part of our reopening plan.
-The second reason to get tested is if a student develops symptoms at school. Our nurses can test them right then and there and have results back much faster than many of you have been experiencing.
If students are symptomatic at home, can they be brought to school for testing?
-Not at this time. We are hopeful that we can develop a system for this, but it is not in place yet. After doing this for a few weeks, we may be able to determine a procedure for this that makes sense without exposing the symptomatic student to anyone at the school. For now, we are not ready for that.
If a student gets tested do they have to quarantine while awaiting results?
For general screening testing, no, students do not need to quarantine while awaiting results.
For symptomatic testing, yes, students should quarantine while awaiting results.
