Please note that this letter was sent home to all families on February 9, 2022.
Dear Berlin Parents/Guardians,
The BCSD has received another shipment of COVID home test kits that are now available for distribution to staff and families. BCSD continues its distribution of free COVID-19 at-home test kits to families and school staff. These test kits can be used to ensure that students are not carrying the virus in the event that they become symptomatic or to avoid quarantine (if they are a close contact) and remain in school as part of our Test at Home protocol.
Participation in this survey as well as testing is optional. We would like to offer to send a test kit home with every student to have available to use to test on Sunday, February 27, 2022 before returning to school from winter break. Testing is NOT required to return to school.
If you would like a test kit sent home with your child, please complete this survey. Please complete only one survey for your family. If you choose to participate, test kits for all your children will be sent home with the same child (whose name you enter into the form). The date has been extended, please complete the survey and ask your child to pick the kit up in the health office.
Please only notify the school, and keep your child home if your child tests positive. Please do not notify the school if your child’s test is negative – this applies only to returning to school testing after break. (If your child is home sick, or was a close contact, please continue to update the school with negative test results to return).
If you receive a positive result, please place your child’s test on a piece of paper, add your child’s name and date of test to the paper, take a picture of the test and email the picture to your building’s school nurse.
Michele Corsey Mcorsey@berlincentral.org for BMHS, and Jean Hammond Jhammond@berlincentral.org for BES.
About the At-Home Test Kits
- The at-home test kits include two rapid tests in each kit.
- They provide results within 15 minutes. Instructions are included in the test kits.
- Anyone who tests positive on an at-home test should immediately report their results to the school and begin isolating.
- Students who test positive must isolate for 5 days and can return to school on day 6 if they are fever free for at least 24 hours and their symptoms (if any) are improving.
- Some test kits that have already been distributed have had their expiration dates extended by the FDA. If you already have one of these test kits, please do not discard them.
- Abbott BinaxNOW – extended from 1/30/22 to 4/30/22
- AccessBio Care Start Rapid Antigen Test – extended from 2/1/22 to 9/30/22
- Abbott BinaxNOW – extended from 1/9/22 to 4/9/22
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
A. Joseph Dhara
Superintendent of Schools