DC Public Schools To Start New COVID-19 Testing Protocol

WASHINGTON, DC — Starting next week, D.C. Public Schools will be instituting new testing protocols for students and staff participating in DCPS in-person programming. This will affect schools with CARE or In-Person Learning Classrooms and will include in-school testing for students and mailed testing kits for staff.

“We are proud of the very robust testing system we have built in D.C., and now we can use that infrastructure to support this program,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said, in a release. “There is a sense of urgency to get more students back in school with their teachers, peers, and school community, and we are hopeful that these new protocols move us one step closer to reopening.”

The on-site testing of students in CARE Classrooms will be managed by the D.C. Department of Health. Approximately every 10 days, students receive a PCR nasal-swab, which will be administered in school by D.C. Health medical staff. The student's parent or guardian must sign a school-provided consent form in order to authorize the testing.

In addition, DCPS staff and partner staff who provide in-person support in CARE Classrooms will self-administer testing kits they will receive weekly in the mail. Staff will not be required to administer the weekly tests, but DCPS encourages them to do so at their convenience.

In following this regular asymptomatic testing protocol, students and staff will continue to participate in their in-person programming while they await the test results, which will be provided via email. If a student or staff member develops COVID-19 symptoms, they should self-quarantine at once and contact their medical provider.

“The ability for DCPS to implement an asymptomatic testing protocol for students and staff will allow us to continue to meet our commitment to prioritize the health and safety of our entire school community,” DCPS Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee said, in the release. “We thank Mayor Bowser and DC Health for their ongoing partnership and investment in supporting a safe reopening of our schools.”

Each of the schools offering CARE Classrooms has three Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) to support school-based health protocols, such as checking temperatures upon arrival, screening for symptoms throughout the day, and staffing the health isolation room. These schools will also provide on-site rapid testing for symptomatic individuals.

Members of the school staff who develop symptoms during the workday may request a PCR test on site. The will also be encouraged to contact their personal medical provider. DCPS staff members working in person are able to show their school ID to be prioritized at any District public testing site.

Learn more about DCPS’ COVID-19 Response Protocol and CARE Classrooms online at DCPSReopenStrong.com.