Chicago Schools Send 150,000 Home COVID Tests to Students

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Chicago public schools will send approximately 150,000 home COVID tests to students in more than 300 schools hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

District officials have announced plans to send out the test kits before the winter break so families can test the students before returning to campus in January. Instructions will accompany the COVID tests, officials said in a press release.

Families are encouraged to test on Tuesday, December 28 and drop off samples at a nearest Fedex box the same day.

CPS CEO Pedro Martinez attributed current cases of COVID in schools to social events outside of schools.

“We know families will be gathering for the holidays, so we are offering these tests to our students who may be most at risk so that we can reduce the spread of COVID and protect our school communities,” Martinez said.

The announcement comes amid an increase in quarantines across the district.

As of Monday, 363 staff and 9,039 students were in quarantine, according to the latest figures from the district.

In the past 10 days, the number of students quarantined has doubled. On December 4, 4,655 students were quarantined, and that number peaked at 10,000 on December 9 and 10, according to district data.

Chicago public schools are trying to reduce the number of students quarantined. Last month, the school district launched a pilot test program to stay in a school.

The Chicago pilot is in line with guidelines from the Illinois State Board of Education, which earlier this fall issued a “Test-to-Stay” protocol that gives districts some flexibility to relax requirements. quarantine rules when extensive testing programs are in place. Under the policy, students in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 can return to campus without a quarantine period if they are tested regularly and test negative before returning to school and adhere to the rules regarding mask wearing and social distancing.

According to state guidelines updated in September, vaccinated students should be tested by districts on days one, three, five and seven after exposure to stay in class.

Chicago public schools have struggled to get students to opt for school-based COVID testing.

The majority of Chicago schools have less than 10 percent of students enrolled for COVID tests in district schools. Most of these campuses are on the south and west sides, which are also among the hardest hit by the ongoing pandemic.

The distribution of home test kits is part of the district’s plan to provide testing to designated high-risk neighborhoods, district officials said in its statement.

The district encourages families who do not receive a test to be tested during winter vacation. Here is a link to COVID test events.

Amid the wave, school officials urged families to get their students vaccinated and tested before returning to school after winter break.

“We know that by taking these critical steps our students will stay safe and healthy and ready to learn in January,” CPS director of health, Dr. Kenneth L. Fox, said in a statement.

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