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COVID Testing Update

We can test for COVID at school now!

The Indiana Department of Health has updated it's guidance on close contacts. We require masking throughout the day which protects our children and staff from being close contacts. There are times where children are at high risk of contracting COVID-19 if they are within 6 feet from a COVID-19 positive individual: lunch, band, and PE. The Indiana Department of Health is recommending that we continue our 14 day quarantine of close contacts in these situations. If your child is a close contact to a COVID-19 positive individual during band, lunch, or P.E., you will be notified via a phone call as well as an email. If your child is vaccinated and we have record of it (a copy of the COVID vaccine card or a printable copy from the state), your child can stay at school, but need to be COVID tested at day 3-5 of exposure. If you notice any symptoms of COVID in your child (headache, sore throat, cough, congestions, fever, nausea, shortness of breath) please keep them home and have them tested.  

 
With the changes in quarantine, we have also been given the opportunity to perform BinaxNOW tests in the office for children and staff with symptoms (headache, fever, cough, shortness of breath, headache, stomachache). They will be performed in the isolation room in the office free of charge. These tests are nasal swabs that have a quick result time of 15 minutes and can help keep students in the school instead of being sent home. These tests cannot be used to shorten a quarantine time for unvaccinated students, but they can be used on vaccinated students 3-5 days after exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual. The BinaxNOW tests will save you from having to find a test for your child in the community if they are symptomatic. If your child is deemed a candidate for testing, a phone call will be made and an email sent with the description of the test. If you consent, please respond to the email and we will perform the test. If your child is positive, they will be asked to isolate for 10 days. If you choose not to test in the office, you will be asked to pick up your child and they will be allowed back in the building after a 14 day quarantine, a doctor's note, or a negative COVID-19 test.
 
If you have any further questions, please email us at nurse@smsindy.org. Thank you as always for helping us keep our building happy and healthy.

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