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Date: 2/16/2022
EAST LONGMEADOW – With COVID-19 cases dropping at a steady rate, the East Longmeadow School Committee discussed the fluid circumstances around the pandemic during their Feb. 7 meeting.
While the committee recently established the “Test and Stay” program for schools, Superintendent Gordon Smith shared that the addition of at-home COVID-19 antigen tests from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is a new option for East Longmeadow schools.
“They are providing districts that opt-in for rapid antigen tests every other week, so then the districts can then distribute them to families who opt-in for this program,” said Smith, who also shared that the district would have to incorporate either pooled testing or symptomatic testing alongside the new program. The superintendent expressed that DESE is suggesting the at-home program because it would remove the extensive workload nurses commit toward testing.
Smith and the School Committee discussed the potential of welcoming the new program and symptomatic testing into the school district. School Committee Chair Sarah Truoiolo expressed concern with adding new programs after spending expensive time establishing the “test and stay” protocols.
“For families, we are talking about something that was already a little bit of confusion … So for them to now opt into something else, we’ve basically invalidated what they’ve already consented to,” said Truoiolo. She expressed that families continue to be confused by permission slips for the “test and stay” program, as the slips also include information about DESE’s other testing programs.
Smith and School Committee member Gregory Thompson said the new program will not completely eradicate “test and stay,” with Smith sharing that East Longmeadow plans to utilize the program until the at-home antigen tests can be implemented. “It’s going to take time until we have the ability to run the at-home testing,” said Smith.
Nursing Director Kelly Labombard expressed that embracing the at-home test program is the best avenue for East Longmeadow going forward. “I had a staff meeting with all the nurses. They would like to do symptomatic testing at at-home testing … I just think it would make more sense,” said Labombard.
The nursing director also revealed that the “Test and Stay” program continues to dwindle in participants, with the week prior to the meeting only featuring one student in the program. “I just don’t think there’s going to be a lot of kids. The positives are down,” said Labombard.
After extensive debate, the School Committee ultimately approved the inclusion of at-home antigen tests and Symptomatic Testing for the school district in an unanimous vote. Despite the approval, the “test and stay” program will still be in operation.