In order to ease the burden of having to exclude students from school due to ISBE/IDPH requirements for being a close contact to a student who has tested positive for COVID-19, Woodlawn USD #209 has instituted a "Test to Stay" program. If parents give consent, a child who has been determined to be a close contact may be tested at school on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 after exposure instead of being excluded from school, as long as the student continues to test negative. This test will also allow us to test symptomatic students instead of sending them home, or to a doctor, to be tested. If a child were to test positive at school, he/she would then need to receive another, off-campus, test for confirmation.
The test the district will use is called BinaxNow by Abbot Labs. There is a link to a video about the test below. This test is not the instrusive, long swab test that goes way up the nose. Instead, a swab is inserted in the lower nostril in this test. This test has already been used to keep 4 students in school this week who would have otherwise been excluded. If you are ok with school staff giving this test to your child you can fill out the attached consent form and have it brought to the school office. You do not need to wait until you are contacted due to close contact to complete the form. Even if you do provide consent ahead of time, school staff will still contact you prior to your child being tested.
NOTE: CLICK HERE for the parent waiver to be printed and signed then returned to school in order for testing to take place.
WATCH: BinaxNow Video
