Vermont education officials release COVID testing protocols

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MONTPELIER, Vermont (WCAX) – Vermont education officials on Friday released final guidelines on new protocols for testing coronaviruses in schools. It comes as some schools have struggled to cope with the rising number of COVID cases while also trying to continue teaching in person.

The new Test to Stay program seeks to keep as many children as possible in the classroom. Normally, if a student tested positive, their close contacts would be quarantined for seven days. Under the new program, if they are asymptomatic, close contacts could come to school and have antigen tests every day for a week and continue to attend classes if the results were negative. If a student refuses to participate, they will have to stay home.

This is the first time that less precise antigen tests have been used in Vermont schools. State health officials say it is now an appropriate tool because community transmission of the virus is so much higher than last summer. “The reliability of a test that turns positive after going negative and indicating that a person has been infected is very, very high,” said Vt. Health Commissioner Dr Mark Levine.

Vermont-NEA officials say teachers generally support the idea, but the proof will be in the details. Many nurses and school staff have been overwhelmed with surveillance testing and contact tracing for dozens of children. “There is just a shortage of people to do these extra tasks. As always – our members, everyone involved in the school day frankly – their main concern is the safety and security of their students, but they want to teach, ”said Darren Allen of Vermont-NEA.

Unlike PCR tests, antigen tests are easier and faster to administer, and results come back faster. Education Secretary Dan French said this should give districts some flexibility in who can administer them. “Nurses still have to oversee the data, but that doesn’t require a nurse to administer the test themselves, so there is a place for a layman to help and make the administrative process smoother,” he said. declared.

But for small schools, that may require hiring more staff, which Vermont-NEA says could be a challenge.

Officials say families will hear directly from their schools about the testing programs and that schools will receive additional resources and information next week.

Information is available on the Education Agency’s COVID-19 Testing Family Resources webpage and COVID-19 response testing at a glance.

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