The South East Cornerstone Public School Division is providing more information on rapid COVID-19 testing in schools.
In a correspondence sent to parents, Cornerstone director of education Lynn Little noted that on March 22, the Government of Saskatchewan issued a media release regarding the provision of 100,000 rapid tests for schools throughout the province.
The testing kits allocated to SECPSD have been received and are being stored in the school division’s central warehouse. They are not being stored in any school facility.
School divisions have been asked to work with local medical health officers to determine processes for the deployment of the rapid tests. The process will include a qualification of when tests might benefit a specific school or community. Therefore, they will not be deployed to all schools, only those where they are warranted for a specific period.
“There have been many questions and concerns regarding process and consent. Please be assured that when a process is developed, it will be shared prior to any implementation,” the school division said in the correspondence.
The school division said no child will be tested without the expressed written consent of their parents. The school division will not be determining who will or will not be tested, and there will be no negative repercussions for children whose parents do not provide consent.
This is strictly a parental determination. Rapid testing is not a requirement for school attendance.
“We are beginning to see a rise in our numbers of students or staff who have tested positive with COVID-19,” the division said. “We would like to encourage everyone to remain vigilant in our safety processes. We will continue to implement the SECPSD Response and Safety Plan.”
The division says it understands and appreciates that these are challenging circumstances and wish to assure the public that they will continue to work diligently to create a safe learning environment.
