Massachusetts is launching ‘pooled’ coronavirus testing for schools The method involves testing swabs in batches, instead of one at a time. , districts and schools will work with pooled testing service providers who will coordinate with testing labs, implement a technology platform for tracking results, and provide training for school staff, and technical assistance. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) launched the pooled testing program for K-12 schools this winter. With pooled COVID-19 testing underway at more than 1,000 Massachusetts schools as health metrics improve, few positive cases are being reported among … The Baker-Polito Administration today announced weekly COVID-19 pooled testing will be available within the next month to schools and districts across the Commonwealth, expanding on a rapid testing initiative that began in schools in December. BOSTON — In January, when the Baker administration announced a new pooled COVID-19 testing initiative for K-12 schools, Education Secretary James Peyser said … Pooled Testing, Abbott BinaxNOW, PCR Model Standing order, April 13, 2021 Districts and schools using Abbott BinaxNOW for follow-up testing, may complete the preconditions for test distribution in the Authorized School application. If a pooled test result is positive, then everyone in the pool is given an individual diagnostic test. Our efforts are focused on the health, resilience, and independence of the one in four residents of the Commonwealth we serve. The pooled testing program is already in hundreds of Massachusetts schools, and Natick school officials are working to clarify some misconceptions that parents and students have. In the coming weeks, nearly 300,000 students across Massachusetts will be tested weekly for the coronavirus as part of a widespread pool testing program launching at 952 schools. The rapid testing initiative, now being expanded, began in schools in December. Please be on the lookout for an email from your child’s school with information and the link to consent to participate in the Pooled Testing Program. Pooled COVID Testing Is Coming to Mass. This approach increases the number of individuals that can be tested using the same amount of laboratory resources as a single PCR test. in the scale of 1, Strongly Disagree, to 5, Strongly Agree, Professional Training & Career Development, Office of Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Johnston explained those tests are then pooled – generally in groups of 10, or about the size of a class cohort – and then processed together with results in 24 to 48 hours. Abbott BinaxNOW tests are currently provided to more than 100 schools at no cost. DESE will assume the costs for the testing initiative during the initial start-up of the program, estimated to cost between $15 million and $30 million which will be funded by federal stimulus funds. masslive.com - With pooled COVID-19 testing underway at more than 1,000 Massachusetts schools as health metrics improve, few positive cases are being reported among … Johnston said the ultimate goal is getting kids back in the classroom more often. BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts’ pooled COVID-19 testing program for the state’s schools has tested nearly 159,000 people and found a positivity rate of lower than 1%, state officials said Monday. DESE pairs participating schools with one of the organizations coordinating the pooled testing — CIC Health , Project Beacon , or Concentric by Ginkgo . The first-in-the-nation testing program, launched in February, is available to every Massachusetts public school at no cost. BOSTON — Massachusetts schools will have the ability to conduct "pool" testing of staff and students for the novel coronavirus under a program announced Friday on Beacon Hill. Through collaboration with the COVID-19 Response Command Center and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), participating school districts providing in-person or hybrid learning will be prioritized for testing kits. Malden Public Schools Of Malden Massachusetts: COVID-19 Pooled Testing For K- 8 Students - Malden, MA - See the latest announcement from the Malden Public Schools of Malden Massachusetts. "Children who don’t opt in will not be kept out of school, but we really do hope that as many parents as possible will agree to participating," Johnston said. Students, teachers, and staff that were close contacts of the positive case must quarantine according to current requirements. Governor Karyn Polito, Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Abbott BinaxNOW tests are currently provided to more than 100 schools at no cost. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. If the pooled sample is negative, all the individuals are presumed negative. Similarly, pooled testing is administered at school either by trained school staff, including, though not limited to, school nurses, or onsite test specimen collectors. Gov. For anyone with additional questions, DESE has provided more information about pooled testing on its website. Charlie Baker announces a new pool coronavirus testing program in schools to begin within the next month in order to bring more students back to in-person learning. Previous: Massachusetts to launch COVID-19 ‘pooled testing’ in schools. Charlie Baker announced a new coronavirus “pool testing” program on Friday that will provide weekly surveillance testing to Massachusetts schools. We will use this information to improve the site. Students, teachers, and staff that were close contacts of the positive case must quarantine according to current requirements. Massachusetts is preparing to launch a pooled testing program in schools that aims to help expand monitoring for COVID-19 and encourage schools to … Once positive individuals are identified, they must follow isolation guidance. Under a state contract being developed, districts and schools will work with pooled testing service providers who will coordinate with testing labs, implement a technology platform for tracking results, and provide training for school staff, and technical assistance. DESE will assume the costs for the testing initiative during the initial start-up of the program. Pooled coronavirus testing could be coming to your child’s school in a couple of weeks. Pooled schools testing. “If the results come back positive then we do follow up testing and identify who from within that pool may have tested positive and then take the appropriate steps necessary at that point,” Johnston said. Governor Karyn Polito and the Baker-Polito Administration are committed to serving the people of Massachusetts and making the Commonwealth a great place to live, work and raise a family. Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. “Pool testing involves the specimen collection of interior nasal swabs from students and staff on a weekly basis,” said Russell Johnston, senior associate commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The first six weeks of testing is completely covered by the state through federal stimulus funding, with the option for schools to continue testing using COVID funding that’s been allocated to each district. If a pooled test result is negative, then all individuals within that pool are presumed negative and may continue to remain in school. The Baker-Polito administration is extending its funding commitment to a pooled COVID-19 testing initiative in schools through the end of the school year. "It’s a very simple, non-invasive process that yields important information to help us feel very confident about the safety of in-person learning," he said. The test is performed at least once per week on an anterior nasal swab and results are delivered within approximately 24-48 hours. If a pooled test result is positive, then everyone in the pool is given an individual diagnostic test. estimated to cost between $15 million and $30 million which will be funded by federal stimulus funds. That’s why Ginkgo aims to provide easy, affordable pooled testing to K-12 schools across the country. “If the kids aren’t showing symptoms, why make them go through all that crap? Interested districts and schools have until January 15 to notify DESE of their participation in the program. Schools Report 938 New COVID-19 Cases Among Students, Staff, Nearly 2,000 Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Spoil at Jamaica Plain VA Facility, Copyright © 2021 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Pooled testing involves mixing several test samples together in a “batch” or “pool,” and then testing the pooled sample with a diagnostic, PCR test for detection of SARS-CoV-2. All rights reserved, Stop Asian Hate Protesters, In Their Words. Services, Department of Elementary and Secondary education test new features for the site that crap coordinating!, striving to ensure that all students across the Commonwealth in December testing to every Massachusetts public school no... Surveillance testing to every Massachusetts public school at no cost in schools of Health and Human Services, Department Elementary. `` I think things just need to get back to classrooms, can also participate in the of! 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