We are excited to share the news that Hamilton County Public Health has approved the Test to Stay (TTS) program for schools in Hamilton County. Test to Stay is a program that allows unvaccinated and asymptomatic PreK-12 students, who are ordered to quarantine as a result of a school exposure, to continue to attend in-person instruction as long as they test negative daily. We have had students who have been out of school for precautionary quarantine and with this program in place students will have the opportunity to attend in-person instruction.

There are requirements that must be followed in order for a child to be eligible for this program. Please review the linked documents created by Hamilton County Public Health to further understand the program. For example, this program is only valid if the exposure is at school and does not apply to exposures that happen within the household or outside of school. The tests must also be completed each day before the school day begins. These are just a few examples of the requirements that must be followed. We welcome your questions as we lift off this program together. It is linked on our website under "COVID-19 Resources."

Hamilton County Test to Stay Plan

Test to Stay Consent Form

We will officially begin offering this program on Friday, November 19.

There is a required consent form for this program. This consent form is to be completed and returned at the time your child is issued a quarantine order due to exposure in the classroom. This consent form is only valid for the duration of the quarantine order. Any future quarantines will require a new consent form, and it is important to note that this consent form is different from the Consent to Test form that many parents/guardians submitted at the start of the school year for screening and diagnostic testing.

I know there has been concern about positive cases within our community, but I want to assure you that we are diligently following the safety protocols and are using all of our testing resources. In fact, more than 150 tests have been administered at school over the past week. There are many neighboring school districts who do not have testing resources in their school buildings. We are very fortunate that our county has supplied our schools with these resources and they are readily available for our use, and above all we have results immediately. Additionally, we have our students physically distanced in the classroom, they are wearing their masks, and are practicing good hand hygiene. With all of these consistent practices in place and resources available within our building, our public health officials confirm that schools are one of the safest places to be. We encourage everyone to do their part outside of school too.

Thanks for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Ms. Noelle J. Short

Superintendent/Principal