COVID Testing
COVID-19 Exposure Testing
COVID-19 Exposure testing
UPDATE 2-22-2022
Participation in COVID-19 Exposure Testing (formerly known as the Test to Stay) is voluntary since schools in Illinois can no longer exclude asymptomatic students who are identified as close contacts to an individual who tested positive for COVID-19. The purpose of the program is to screen students on days 3 and 5 after a COVID-19 exposure (during school or an SD129 extracurricular event) so that new cases can be identified quickly and families can protect themselves and others.
Should you wish for your child to participate in School District 129’s COVID-19 Exposure Testing, please acknowledge that you give “consent” by completing the form linked below:
COVID EXPOSURE TESTING FAQs
What is the goal of the COVID-19 Exposure Testing Program?
Participation in COVID-19 Exposure Testing (formerly known as the Test to Stay) is voluntary since schools in Illinois can no longer exclude asymptomatic students who are identified as close contacts to an individual who tested positive for COVID-19. The purpose of the program is to screen students on days 3 and 5 after a COVID-19 exposure (during school or an SD129 extracurricular event) so that new cases can be identified quickly and families can protect themselves and others.
How does it work?
Using the COVID-19 Exposure Testing Program, a student who is identified as a close contact during school (or an SD129 extracurricular event) is eligible for testing on days 3 and 5 after the exposure.
What type of test will be used?
SD129 will be using BinaxNOW. This fast-acting antigen test is approved by the FDA and delivers results in 15 minutes. To participate in test to stay, students must be tested at the district using our testing process.
Who will be administering the COVID tests?
Trained SD129 personnel will be administering the COVID tests.
What is the process for my child to be tested?
COVID tests will be conducted at your child’s building when they arrive. To minimize disruption to your child’s learning, parents may want to consider bringing them slightly early to school those days. If your student rides the bus or drives themselves to school, they should go to a designated location, which will be communicated to the parent, when they first arrive at school.
What if the testing day of 3 or 5 lands on a weekend?
We will not be conducting testing over the weekend. Your child would need to test that Monday (or Tuesday if that Monday is a holiday). This is still a calendar day process and weekends will not increase the number of tests a student must take. As an example, if a student is identified as a close contact on Thursday (day 0), day 3 is Sunday (no test), day 4 is Monday (test), and day 5 is Tuesday (test).
Symptomatic Student Testing
*Updated 1/31/2022
Due to the availability of rapid tests,
SD129 is pleased to announce the return of
symptomatic student testing starting Monday, January 31st.
COVID-19 testing strategies are an increasingly important part of schools’ health and safety practices. They are helpful in identifying new cases to prevent outbreaks, reducing the risk of further transmission, and protecting students and staff from COVID-19. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) allows for schools in Illinois to utilize the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test to support these efforts. Here’s how the process of symptomatic student testing works:
- Parent/guardian gives consent for COVID testing to be performed on their child
Consent Form for Symptomatic Student Testing
Formulario de consentimiento para pruebas de estudiantes sintomáticos
- Should the child exhibit any COVID-like symptoms while at school, they will be given a BinaxNOW rapid antigen COVID-19 test administered by trained SD129 personnel
- Based upon the results, SD129 personnel will follow up with the parent/guardian to explain the next steps