Optional Weekly COVID Testing & Test-to-Stay Information

Dear MCHS Families:

Morris Community High School will implement two COVID testing options this fall.

First, you may choose to have your child participate in the SHIELD saliva testing program on a voluntary basis each week.  This program is designed to help schools track data on COVID cases and potential outbreaks.  It is entirely optional.  If you are interested, please print the attached form, complete it, sign it, and submit it to the nurse's office.  Students who are vaccinated cannot participate in the voluntary weekly testing at this time.

We need volunteers for this program in order to also implement a Test-to-Stay program.  Test-to-Stay will allow us to test students who are identified as close contacts to a positive case on Days 1, 3, 5, and 7.  Such students can remain in school rather than quarantine as long as those tests continue to come back negative.  This will help greatly by keeping students from unnecessarily quarantining.  Keep in mind that Test-to-Stay is an option only when all students in a District are masked.

In order to get this process rolling, we need the consent forms for the weekly test volunteers submitted ASAP.  To be clear, you do NOT have to be part of the weekly volunteer group in order to be eligible for the Test-to-Stay option.

Please contact the nurse's office at [email protected] or (815) 941-5339 with questions related to the COVID testing program.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Craig R. Ortiz, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Morris Community High School District 101