SACKETS HARBOR, New York (WWNY) – School was back in session Monday and kids will be bringing home more than just homework in their backpacks. Some will be bringing their very own COVID-19 test kits.
There was a special delivery for students at Sackets Harbor Central School on Monday. Those who wanted a take-home COVID test got one.
“We have test kits ready for parent pick-up today and kits have already been distributed to students,” said Superintendent Jennifer Gaffney.
Based on a survey sent to parents, around 260 of the 400 kits sent to Sackets were requested by families.
Any remaining test kits will go to the nurse’s office for kids who are symptomatic or were exposed to COVID.
In total, Jefferson-Lewis BOCES received nearly 23,000 kits to distribute to the 18 districts it supports.
“I have three drivers across those five counties delivering those tests today, so that there will be one test per student, K-12, in each district. It’s a good start,” said Stephen Todd, Jefferson-Lewis BOCES superintendent.
A good start, but not nearly enough for the states’ Test to Stay program. That allows asymptomatic, unvaccinated students to avoid quarantine for academic purposes only after being exposed to COVID – if they test negative three times in a week.
“It’s about making sure there’s a predictable, adequate, steady supply of rapid tests, which we do not yet have, and it’s about capacity,” said Todd.
School is in full swing in St. Lawrence County, too. However, the omicron surge and the holidays have led to illness.
“We haven’t had any schools that have had to go remote. We have had schools, including BOCES, where we’ve had a lot of people sick,” said Tom Burns, superintendent, St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES.
As for the more than 15,000 test kits there, the plan is to get those to families this weekend and have kids tested next Monday before walking the halls.
“Everyone’s back today, so we will have some exposure. But if everyone is following the protocols, staying home when they’re sick, masking up, hopefully we don’t see a lot of that this week. Then we can get a really good screening next weekend,” said Burns.
Gaffney says the next few weeks will be a challenge as cases rise, potentially creating staffing shortages. But, she says with the promise of more resources on the way and studies showing the omicron variant is less severe, she’s hopeful we’re beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I feel like in the next few months the pandemic will transition into the endemic,” she said.
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