Scarsdale Schools Preparing for COVID Testing, if Necessary

Scarsdale High School is all remote today, December 3, 2020, after the district learned of a positive case at the school on the night of December 2. The district had to advise the community of the schedule change for the high school for December 3 by robo call, given the late hour. Schools are slated to return to the hybrid schedule on Friday December 4, 2020.

Should the local infection rate continue to go up, there’s a possibility that the Governor could designate that Scarsdale could be declared a Yellow Zone. If this occurs, the Village would need to enforce the following restrictions:

-Houses of worship to operate at 50% of capacity.

-Gatherings limited to 25 people, both indoors and outdoors.

-Indoor and outdoor dining limited to 4 people per table.

-Schools open but require mandatory testing of 20% of students and teachers per week.

To that end, School Superintendent Thomas Hagerman announced that the district is preparing to conduct COVID testing if necessary. In an email below, he says that the district has reached an agreement with Sovereign Labs to provide COVID testing for students and teachers if necessary. The PCR saliva tests will be analyzed at the Sovereign Lab in New Jersey and the cost will be covered by health insurance. The cost to any students or staff without insurance will be covered by the district.

The district will contact families and staff members for consent.

Here is the email from Dr. Hagerman:

District Covid-19 Testing:

The District has been engaged in a dual-pronged process for performing Covid-19 testing in the event it is needed as part of the Governor’s new micro-cluster strategy. As reported earlier, we have both (1) applied to become a limited-service lab and (2) sought contracts with outside vendors for independent testing. Both approaches have pros and cons. We are pleased to announce that we have made substantial progress on the latter. This week, we reached an agreement with Sovereign Labs (a division of Sovereign Health) to provide Covid-19 testing for District students and staff should it be necessary (i.e. being designated as a micro-cluster zone). The testing will be completed through a PCR, saliva test, which will be analyzed in the Sovereign’s genetic lab in New Jersey. The testing lab will use health insurance to cover the cost of the testing at no cost to individuals tested. Students or staff without insurance will have testing covered by the District. Test results will be shared with the District and sent directly to staff members/families, typically within 72 hours (total time for testing, shipping, analysis, and results).

Within the next week or so, the District will be reaching out to obtain family/staff member consent for Covid-19 testing. Since thresholds of testing are required for schools to remain open, it is important that there is broad cooperation between the District and the school community on this front. Currently, New York State is adjusting the requirements for micro-cluster testing, and, depending on that outcome, consent for testing may become a requirement for continued in-person learning. While there are many logistics to iron out, this testing protocol potentially provides a vehicle for us to stay open during this time of increased community spread.