Schools
<< back to news listing
COVID-19 rapid screening test program beginning at Division schools
Fri, 23 Apr, 2021
In partnership with Alberta Education and Alberta Health, the Division will be taking part in the school-based COVID-19 rapid screening test program. The program allows us to quickly identify students and staff who have COVID-19, but are not showing symptoms.
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
The program is open to students and staff who do not have COVID-19 symptoms and attend school in person at:
The province will select schools based on a number of factors, including how many COVID-19 cases are in the school or community. We anticipate that the province will identify more schools to participate in the near future.
VOLUNTARY TESTING
Participation in the program is completely voluntary and requires parent or guardian consent. Families or students can choose to withdraw consent at any time, including at the time of the test.
Testing will be conducted at the school by a third-party service provider contracted by Alberta Health Services. Individuals who participate in the program will be made aware of their results the same day as their test. Those who receive a positive test result will be referred to an Alberta Health Services testing site for a lab-based COVID-19 test to confirm the results. Any individual who receives a positive test result from the pilot will be required to leave the school, the same as any individual with symptoms of illness.
SUPPORTING HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES
Rapid screening tests are another tool, along with health measures already in place, to keep our students, staff and communities safe. The goal of the program is to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in schools so in-person learning can continue safely.
MORE INFORMATION
If your child is attending in-person learning at one of the participating schools, watch SchoolZone for information about when testing will begin. Superintendent Darrel Robertson has shared a letter to families about the Division’s participation in the program.
Read the COVID-19 Division Re-entry Strategy to learn about the steps we’re taking to keep our school communities safe.
