Dear Methow Valley School District Parents,
In collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health, the Methow Valley School District is pleased to announce that it will be participating in a state-funded effort to provide free, voluntary, rapid-cycle, COVID-19 testing to symptomatic students whose parents provide prior consent.
Here is how the free, voluntary rapid-cycle COVID-19 testing protocol works:
- Parents must have completed the Consent Form for Rapid COVID-19 Testing, either online or manually (pdf) prior to testing, providing consent for their student(s) to be tested for COVID when symptomatic.
- Student(s) whose parents have provided consent, are displaying COVID symptoms, and/or believe they may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, will have access to rapid-cycle COVID testing, administered by MVSD School Nurse, Adriana Vanbianchi, or trained administrator, on our school campus.
- If the test is positive, they will be asked to isolate for at least 10 days and until symptoms have resolved before returning to school. Positive results are required to be reported to Okanogan County Department of Health by the school nurse.
- If the test is negative, they will be asked to isolate until symptoms have improved, then return to school.
COVID-19 tests will be conducted using a shallow nasal swab. We’ve partnered with the WA Dept of Health and Curative, a health care provider that uses a painless, self-administered, shallow nasal swab test kit. All tests are conducted under the observation of a trained test administrator.
This testing protocol is one of the district’s many strategies aimed at providing containment and control of the virus. As stated by our state and local public health officials, when combined with vaccination (involving those who are eligible), proper ventilation, mask-wearing, distancing, and good hygiene, the testing of individuals displaying COVID-like symptoms provides an added layer of protection, dramatically decreasing the risks of infection and the spread of the virus.
If you wish for your student(s) to be able to participate, we ask that you complete a Consent Form for Rapid COVID-19 Testing for each child.
Thank you for your continued support.
Regards,
Adriana Vanbianchi
MVSD School Nurse