New At Home Testing Program

Dear SSCPS Families:

At the South Shore Charter Public School, keeping your students safe has remained our first priority. We are writing to let you know, in accordance with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Public Health (DPH), our school is updating our COVID-19 Testing Program, effective January 31, 2022. We are opting into an at-home testing program that will increase testing of our participating students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

For more information about this update to the statewide testing program, please click here. The at-home testing option will begin during the week of January 31, 2022. In addition to this new at-home antigen test option, we will continue with routine COVID safety checks (pool testing) and symptomatic testing during the week.

As part of this shift in the program, we are discontinuing Test and Stay and contact tracing for in-school close contacts. This means that if your child is a potential contact in school, they may continue to come to school and do not have to quarantine. This new at-home testing opportunity is voluntary and only those who opt-in will receive tests. We are sending hard copies of this form home with your student today. We strongly encourage you to fill out the form by Wednesday, January 26, to opt-in. If you do not opt in by Wednesday, you may opt in for the next round of at-home antigen testing in two weeks. If you have questions, please contact one of our nurses in the Health Office. 
 
COVID-19 Testing Programs in our Schools:

1. At-Home Rapid Antigen Testing on Sunday (NEW opt-in form) 
2. Routine COVID Safety Checks every week (If you have not yet signed up, click here)
3. Symptomatic Testing (If you have not yet signed up, click here)

 
Overview: At-Home Rapid Testing Program

• About the Test: iHealth is a 15-minute at-home FDA-approved rapid antigen test
• Opt-In: To participate, you must opt in by completing the form. By opting in, you will agree to review the training materials for test administration, report positive test results to your student’s school, and administer the tests according to SSCPS Health Office guidelines. 
• Weekly: Every two weeks you will receive an iHealth at-home rapid test kit. Each kit contains two individual tests. Your student will administer one test each week on Sunday. 
• Reporting Positive Test Results: If your student tests positive on an at-home antigen test, you will inform their school of the positive result using the [Positive Test Result Notification form]. The school will keep the results confidential and will not make individual results public. In addition, it is strongly recommended that you inform your healthcare professional of the positive result. 
• Easy, Free, and Flexible: This test is administered at home (not at school), reducing the burden on school staff and time to administer tests and increasing a family’s flexibility to do testing in the home for free.

How do I administer the test?

• Click here for a full “how to” written guide in various languages
• Click here for a video of an individual self-testing

  
How do I submit results?

• Submit Results: You must submit positive test results to your student’s school. Click here to submit positive test results. 
• Confidentiality: Positive test results are shared with your school district for informational purposes only. Individual results will remain confidential, and they will never be made public. 

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Alicia E. Savage
Executive Director
South Shore Charter Public School
781.982.4202 Ext. 101
www.sscps.org

How to Use the iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test

Home Testing Opt-In Students.pdf
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