September 9, 2021
Marysville School District Families and Staff,
In collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health, our school district is participating in a state-funded effort to provide voluntary COVID-19 rapid testing that is incorporated into our existing district reopening plans to further help contain the virus, protect our communities, and keep students and teachers safe and healthy through BinaxNOW rapid testing.
We have developed a screening protocol that each student and staff member must follow if they have COVID symptoms, an exposure, or have tested positive. Even if a person has been vaccinated, if they experience COVID-related symptoms, they may be instructed to get a COVID test.
The COVID-19 rapid test is free and voluntary. Teachers, staff, students, and members of their household who show symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 meet the criteria for testing. They will be referred for testing where a free rapid test can be done that day. Our local schools have been approved as testing sites by the Washington State Department of Health. The test:
BinaxNOW: The Binax rapid test is done through the use of a painless shallow nasal swab test kit. With this kit, you collect your own sample under the supervision of a trained test observer. Results are available within 15 minutes. Depending upon the test result a non-rapid test may be recommended.
In order for students to be tested, a signed consent form is required. Parents or guardians can pre-sign the form when school starts and it will be kept on file should a test be needed. Parents or parent-designated adults will administer the test for their elementary students. Middle and high school students may administer their own test but parents will be notified prior to any testing. Click HERE to access the consent form. For more information about the test, review the FAQ. If a person tests positive, a reporting form is used to send results to the Snohomish Health District. All information is kept confidential.
Our goal is to put the best possible strategies in place so that our students, families, teachers, and staff feel safe, protected, and comfortable focusing on teaching and learning.
If you have any questions regarding COVID-19 symptoms or testing, please contact your school’s Nurse. For more information and resources, go to https://www.msd25.org/page/covid-19-health-and-safety.
Sincerely,
COVID-19 Recovery and Response Team