COVID Testing Program Updated At Lower Merion School District

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — The Lower Merion School District is making changes to its student coronavirus testing program.

According to the district, ACE-IT Binax rapid antigen testing program is expanding.

Parents/guardians who would like their children tested under the circumstances listed below need to complete two steps

The first step is providing consent.

To do so, parents and guardians should log onto the PowerSchool Parent Portal and indicate whether you give your consent for your child to be tested at school. Parents and guardians must use their login information rather than the child's.

Directions for electronically signing the consent or opting out or rapid antigen testing through PowerSchool eCollect can be found on the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

Anyone who has forgotten their parent or guardian password and/or cannot log into their account should contact the main office at their child's school.

The second step is to pre-register and create a QR code.

Pre-register and create a QR Code by going to the BiNax website here to obtain a QR code for testing.

Enter your child's information on the first pages.

Each child needs their own QR Code. If your child participated in athletics or extracurriculars testing last year, their QR code from last year will still work. If you can't find it, you will need to create a new one.

Enter the parent/guardian's email address and phone number. That's who will get the test result.

After the QR code is created, email it to your child's school nurse at the appropriate address below:

• Belmont Hills Elementary School: Breenp@lmsd.org
• Cynwyd Elementary School: Marcolr@lmsd.org
• Gladwyne Elementary School: Aubuchm@lmsd.org
• Merion Elementary School: VolertK@lmsd.org
• Penn Valley Elementary School: RussomE@lmsd.org
• Penn Wynne Elementary School: DeVouey@lmsd.org
• Bala Cynwyd Middle School: OConnec@lmsd.org or mcnultk@lmsd.org
• Welsh Valley Middle School: BromleK@lmsd.org
• Harriton High School 9-10: FarberL@lmsd.org
• Harriton High School 11-12: MorrisD@lmsd.org
• Lower Merion High School 9-10: Berryp@lmsd.org
• Lower Merion High School 11-12: RyanR@lmsd.org

Rapid Testing may be done in the following circumstances, with your consent and the QR code:

• Illness develops at school: We will call you if your child becomes or feels ill during the school day and test them in the health suite. Students may not come to school if they are symptomatic in accordance with the daily screener.
• Testing out of quarantine: Unvaccinated students who are quarantined as a result of an in-school exposure may return after seven days of quarantine instead of 10 if they are tested on day five to seven after exposure. Testing for "out of quarantine" is done outside of LMHS cafeteria daily between 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is not done during the school day.
• Testing for vaccinated close contacts: Students who are identified as in-school close contacts of a positive student may be tested on days three to five after exposure in accordance with recommendations of the MCOPH. This will be done in the health suite during the school day.
• Extracurricular Activity Testing: Students in identified secondary higher-risk athletic and other extracurricular activities weekly, such as football, water polo, wrestling, basketball, drama, and more. This testing is required for unvaccinated and vaccinated students.