Glens Falls City Schools > Archive > Parent notification message for when your child is selected for testing
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Parent notification message for when your child is selected for testing

If and when your child is selected for school-based COVID-19 testing, you will receive the following email:

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Your child, [FIRST_NAME] has been randomly selected to be part of the school-based COVID testing group at [SCHOOL] on [DATE].

If your child has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days, he/she should not be part of our testing pool. Please let us know immediately if this is the case for your family.

As you know, this is the simple, quick, shallow nasal swab test. The testing process will involve our own Middle School and Sports Nurse, Tracy Webster, RN, inserting a small swab, similar to a Q-Tip, into the front of your child’s nose. Test results are available in 15 minutes.

As soon as your child’s test shows negative, they will head back to class and continue on with their day. If any child tests positive, we will immediately isolate them as per our standard procedures. The school nurse will call parents for pickup, and discuss next steps to take with your family doctor.

The entire process for your child should be comfortable, quick, and discrete. Here is an outline of the procedure:

  • Your child will be called out of class in a nondescript manner, such as simply reporting to the main office.
  • A GFMS staff member will walk your child down to the Middle School gym, where the testing will take place.
  • He/She will check in with a testing team member (all GFSD staff), who will ask the following questions:
    • Have you traveled out of town lately?
    • Have you been near anybody who is sick right now?
    • Have you tested positive for COVID before?
    • Do you feel well today?
  • If everything checks out, your child will sit in a waiting chair until called over to the testing table by Nurse Webster. The testing table has privacy screens around your child’s seat.
  • Nurse Webster will gently swab your child’s nose and place the swab securely in the testing kit.
  • Your child will then move to a waiting chair for the 15 minutes it takes to develop the test. He/She can read a book or chat with a supervisory staff member during this waiting time.
  • Once the test is read, a staff member will discreetly tell your child the negative results, and he/she can return to class. (Positive results will be handled immediately and with compassion.)

At the end of the day, parents will receive an email like this one, indicating that your child tested negative. Positive results get a phone call immediately. So if you don’t get a call, all is well!

You may have seen the video, “The Nosey Swab Swipe,” which was designed for our K-4 students to help them understand and feel confident about this simple procedure. Feel free to watch one with your child if it will put their mind at ease:

Our friends at Cohoes made this video which shows the actual BinaxNOW testing kit in action. Please take a look at the simple mechanics of these testing kits, and share this with your child if you like.

If you have questions about the testing process, or if your child has tested positive for COVID within the last 90 days, please contact your principal.

Thank you for helping to keep GF Nation STRONG!