A first-of-its-kind program in Ohio aims to keep children in the classroom amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Tuesday was the first day for the Test & Stay pilot program launched by ten Warren County school districts.Created in collaboration with the Warren County Combined Health District and with assistance from the Ohio Department of Health, the program is a testing initiative for asymptomatic direct contacts of students with confirmed COVID-19, allowing asymptomatic direct contacts to remain in school if they receive two negative rapid antigen tests and wear a face mask while inside the school during their quarantine period.This would allow students to get tested and stay in school after exposure to a positive case. It's a welcome alternative to quarantining at home — as long as the student tests negative.The halls at Lebanon High School are returning to normal as quarantine numbers have fallen in recent weeks."At our peak, we had over 900 students involved in the COVID process between illness and quarantines,” said Isaac Seevers, Superintendent of Lebanon City SchoolsSeevers says now about 65 students are in quarantine each week. He wants that number to be as close to zero as possible."It's an academic disruption. It's also a social, emotional, a mental health disruption for those kids that are going home in and out of school," he said. Lebanon City Schools is one of about a dozen Warren County school districts implementing a test and stay program.Dustin Ratliff with the Warren County Health District says students also have to wear a mask during that time and remain symptom-free."As soon as they're identified as a close contact they would need to have a negative test and then in days 5-7 they would have a second negative test," Ratliff said. A father himself, Ratliff says he knows the difficulty of quarantining."Last year, we had quite a few quarantines for sure and I've had to test my kids multiple times and it's not fun," he said.Students can either take the test at home or have it administered on-site. Once a negative result is confirmed, the student can return to the classroom."Our hope is that we can cut that seven-day out of school period maybe down to one," Seevers said.The second negative days later gives them the all-clear."It gives us a chance to make sure there's some continuity in their education,” Seevers added.Vaccinated students do not have to quarantine if exposed to a positive case.The Test and Stay program has only been rolled out at Lebanon High School at the moment. The district hopes to include younger classrooms in the coming weeks.
A first-of-its-kind program in Ohio aims to keep children in the classroom amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tuesday was the first day for the Test & Stay pilot program launched by ten Warren County school districts.
Created in collaboration with the Warren County Combined Health District and with assistance from the Ohio Department of Health, the program is a testing initiative for asymptomatic direct contacts of students with confirmed COVID-19, allowing asymptomatic direct contacts to remain in school if they receive two negative rapid antigen tests and wear a face mask while inside the school during their quarantine period.
This would allow students to get tested and stay in school after exposure to a positive case. It's a welcome alternative to quarantining at home — as long as the student tests negative.
The halls at Lebanon High School are returning to normal as quarantine numbers have fallen in recent weeks.
"At our peak, we had over 900 students involved in the COVID process between illness and quarantines,” said Isaac Seevers, Superintendent of Lebanon City Schools
Seevers says now about 65 students are in quarantine each week. He wants that number to be as close to zero as possible.
"It's an academic disruption. It's also a social, emotional, a mental health disruption for those kids that are going home in and out of school," he said.
Lebanon City Schools is one of about a dozen Warren County school districts implementing a test and stay program.
Dustin Ratliff with the Warren County Health District says students also have to wear a mask during that time and remain symptom-free.
"As soon as they're identified as a close contact they would need to have a negative test and then in days 5-7 they would have a second negative test," Ratliff said.
A father himself, Ratliff says he knows the difficulty of quarantining.
"Last year, we had quite a few quarantines for sure and I've had to test my kids multiple times and it's not fun," he said.
Students can either take the test at home or have it administered on-site. Once a negative result is confirmed, the student can return to the classroom.
"Our hope is that we can cut that seven-day out of school period maybe down to one," Seevers said.
The second negative days later gives them the all-clear.
"It gives us a chance to make sure there's some continuity in their education,” Seevers added.
Vaccinated students do not have to quarantine if exposed to a positive case.
The Test and Stay program has only been rolled out at Lebanon High School at the moment. The district hopes to include younger classrooms in the coming weeks.
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