Dear Parents and Guardians:
We hope your family is able to rest and recharge during the upcoming February break week! Connection, relaxation, and fun are more important now than ever for your children, and we encourage you to use this time off to stay mentally and physically healthy.
To help keep our schools open and flourishing, New York State has provided COVID-19 test kits for every student to use during and immediately after February break. The district has received enough tests to allow us to provide tests to all Glens Falls families who want them.
For your family’s convenience, test kits will be available for pickup in the following locations:
- At Big Cross, Jackson Heights, and Kensington: at dismissal Wednesday, 2/16, or by stopping into the attendance vestibule between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thursday, 2/17, or Friday, 2/18.
- At GF Middle and High Schools:
- At dismissal Thursday, 2/17 – look for the pop-up tent on the front sidewalk of the MS
- At dismissal Friday, 2/18 – look for the tables by the orange cones on Quade Street for drive-up distribution
- By stopping into the attendance vestibule between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 2/16, Thursday, 2/17, or Friday, 2/18
- At the District Office: Stop in any time between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday, 2/16, Thursday, 2/17, or Friday, 2/18
Please note: test kits will ONLY be given to parents/guardians or other adults. Each box contains two rapid nasal-swab tests. The Department of Health recommends testing once at the end of February break (before returning to school), and then again 3-5 days later.
If your child tests positive for COVID-19, please begin the five-day isolation immediately and report the positive test to your child’s school nurse AND on https://warrencountyny.gov/
If your child becomes symptomatic over February break and you are using these tests (36 hours apart) as proof that they are COVID-negative and can return to school as symptoms improve, please complete the attestation form and return it to the school nurse. In addition to negative test results, symptomatic individuals must:
- Be fever-free for 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medications;
- Not have a runny nose or cough severe enough to make mask wearing difficult or unhygienic;
- Be well enough to participate in school; and
- Meet other school or district requirements to return to school after a non-COVID illness.
Please also note:
- If a healthcare provider makes a diagnosis of a confirmed non-COVID-19 acute illness (ie. laboratory-confirmed influenza or strep throat) AND COVID-19 is not suspected, then a note signed by the healthcare provider explaining the alternate diagnosis may be provided to allow a student to participate in school without COVID-19 testing.
- Students with symptoms that are attributable to pre-existing medical conditions (e.g., migraines, allergies) and are not new or worsening do not require school exclusion or testing.
Have a great break week, and we look forward to a healthy start to spring!