Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 9/13/2022
BELCHERTOWN – The School Committee discussed the need and costs of symptomatic school testing for COVID-19 exposure and accepted several appointments during their Sept. 6 meeting.
Belchertown School Nurse Leader Phyllis DuComb spoke to the committee about the availability and costs of supplies for symptomatic COVID-19 testing within the schools. She said the cost of testing supplies for students ranged from $7 to $25, depending upon the supplier, indicating that if the department was able to go with the $7 “between January and June the total could be $16,000;” if the department could only obtain the more expensive tests, the cost would be much higher.
DuComb added that if the only supplies available were the $25 tests, there had been some talk among districts of pooling orders to try and reduce the overall cost of purchase and shipping.
School Committee Chair Heidi Gutekenst informed the committee that the “nurses have tests available for today through Jan. 1, 2023. They just need to get permission slips signed by parents and they can start the testing right away,” indicating the schools have some supplies available at present, and that the discussion was to purchase supplies for the second half of the school year.
According to DuComb, symptomatic testing is only performed if a student presents with signs of illness that indicate a clear possibility of coronavirus infection. Using symptomatic testing allows students to stay in school if there are not COVID-19 positive, and their symptoms do not interfere with learning. She said that her office would be sending our reminders to parents to sign the permission forms for symptomatic testing.
Following discussion regarding the number of tests required last year, the committee approved a limit of $50,000 to be set aside for purchase of symptomatic testing supplies, to be spent at the discretion of the superintendent.
The School Committee also reviewed several appointments during the meeting. The committee approved the appointment of Officer Jay Krol as attendance officer, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Shawn Fortin as harassment officer and Dr. Kim Dewey as school physician. They also approved the increase in the cost of adult breakfasts in the schools to $3.