Beacon High School. The Community Room that currently hosts the “Test To Stay" program is to the right of the front door.
*Photo Credit: Beacon City School District*

Beacon City School District’s Test To Stay (TTS) COVID-19 program started the week ending in December 10, 2021, as announced by Superintendent Landahl in his weekly Superintendent Update email. This is a voluntary program that requires parents consent for their child’s participation to get tested for COVID-19 if they are exposed to a person with a positive result.

In that announcement, Dr. Landahl stated that after the Winter Break, the district plans to make rapid testing available for a limited number of students outside of the quarantine process. Governor Kathy Hochul indicated in her Winter Surge Plan announcement on 12/20/2021 that with the expansion of tests to districts, that might be possible. At the encouragement of the Governor, President Biden has authorized the Defense Production Act to make more tests.

“This [quarantine after exposure] is so disruptive to their education, as well as the parents, who’ve been desperately trying to get back to a normal life, get back to their jobs. And the lack of childcare has been, just another area of friction for these families that have been really hit so hard.”

— Governor Kathy Hochul

If a student or staff is identified in a contact tracing map from a student or staff who tests positive for COVID-19, the people in the contact tracing chain may be eligible to test each morning of their quarantine period with rapid COVID-19 tests provided to the Beacon City School District by New York State, via Dutchess County. In order to attend school for that day (does not include extra curriculars and sports at this time). This is at no cost to the district.

Said Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro on 12/17/2021 in support of the program, as he wrote a letter encouraging Governor Hochul to provide additional funding to the program: “Dutchess County has continually demonstrated our commitment to supporting safe, in-person education through layered mitigation strategies and has assisted local school districts with logistical challenges associated with getting their TTS programs started.

“While the program is not without complications, the value of the approach is unimpeachable. Thanks to TTS, hundreds of Dutchess County students have already benefited from the ability to stay in school, without unnecessary disruption of quarantine following an exposure. This school year has prompted repeated exposures and TTS has provided a vital, safe alternative to having students sit at home with little to no educational enrichment.

“Importantly, TTS also provides increased information about the health status of exposed students by effectively creating a targeted surveillance testing program where parental consent is more easily attained.“

Governor Hochul outlined in her Winter Surge Plan announced on 12/20/2021 that the Test To Stay program would remain funded, and receive additional tools. She outlined her philosophy in her speech on how the program will continue to work:

“Children are in a classroom, someone tests positive. Ordinarily, they would have been sent home for a long period of time. And then even if someone - they go back - someone tests positive again, the next week they're sent home again. This is so disruptive to their education, as well as the parents, who've been desperately trying to get back to a normal life, get back to their jobs. And the lack of childcare has been, just another area of friction for these families that have been really hit so hard.

“So, we'll be making sure that there's, in their backpacks, they will be sent home with testing kits. Children test positive, we know it, someone in the classroom, the kids in the classroom will be sent home with testing kits. So, we're working on that supply chain right now. So starting in early January, we will be able to address that. So there's no reason why our children can’t stay in school. Really important to me. Also, talking about education, we've been in contact with the leaders of our higher education institutions, our SUNY school presidents and our private school presidents. And we're convening a symposium of those leaders to talk about getting back our college students when they return under normal circumstances a little bit later in January and making sure they follow the same return protocols.

“We don't have that disruption again to their education and what the professors and teachers and they had to go through, but also the economic impact, many of our college campuses typically upstate or in small towns, that is the livelihood of their economy. Having those students in person. So, for a number of reasons, it goes to my philosophy of protecting the health of individuals, protecting the health of New Yorkers, as well as protecting the health of the economy.”

How Test To Stay Works For Beacon City School Students

The following information is from the school nurse sent to a parent of a student identified in a contact tracing map.

The Test To Stay program is optional for district students to participate in, and must have parent consent. The district is working with Dr. Neal Smoller for administration of the shots (as well as optional pediatric vaccinations during pop-up clinics). Those who choose not to participate in the Test To Stay program will keep their child home for the quarantine period prescribed to them by the school nurse. Those students will remain in the district’s Fully Remote (FRT) status for the duration of the quarantine.

Based on experiences of parents who had children identified in contact tracing, when the child is identified in a contact tracing map, the school nurse will call the parents or caregivers to find out more information. Depending on when and if the child was vaccinated will contribute to if the child is eligible to Test To Stay. For instance, if the child received their second vaccination shot one week prior to being exposed, they are considered not fully vaccinated yet (as the body is still working on building up resistance to the virus) and the child is eligible for the Test To Stay program.

However, If the child is not symptomatic, and considered fully vaccinated based on the length of time since their second shot, then the nurse might not recommend Test To Stay, and may also not recommend a 10 day quarantine. This is the experience one parent had when their child was exposed twice in one week and identified in two different contact tracing maps. The child was able to return to school without testing, and without quarantining.

As of now, testing is between 7am-8:45am at the Beacon High School Community Room There will be a nurse there to test the student. Students and their caregiver will have to wait for about 15 minutes in their car or outside. If the child is positive, the nurse will call the caregiver. If the child is negative, no phone call will be made, and the child can go to school.

This is to be repeated daily for the length of the prescribed quarantine period.

Those who choose the TTS option and get a negative result are not lifted out of quarantine completely, only for the school day and no extra curricular activities may be participated in. During recent Board of Education meetings, Beacon’s Superintendent Landahl has expressed that he does not understand this logic, but is honoring this requirement from New York State.

The test must be done daily prior to each school day up until the 7th day after possible exposure. The student must be brought to school (no bus transportation to school prior to the test) for the test. After testing negative and attending school for the day, the student may take the bus home for that day.

Testing Out Of Quarantine Completely After 7th Day

As of now (12/23/2021), a second layer of testing out is added to this equation. From the letter sent by the school nurse to a parent whose child was identified in contact tracing and eligible for Test To Stay:

“Choosing the TTS option also allows you to have your student test out of their quarantine completely after their 7th day of possible exposure.”

Steps to Test out of Quarantine

Get a COVID-19 test on day 5 or later of quarantine. Rapid & PCR tests accepted.
Upon receiving a negative test result, immediately send the result to TestOut@dutchessny.gov.
Wait for a release from a quarantine letter from the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health. Letter turn around is usually 24 hours from submission. Note, it may take up to 36 hours during non business hours (weekends).
Quarantine ends after day 7 or later with a release from the quarantine letter. However, if you do not have the release letter you must continue to quarantine through day 10.
Continue monitoring for symptoms through day 14
For assistance call the COVID-19 information line at 845-486-3555.

This process is not for Test To Stay for daily school attendance. It is for lifting quarantine completely after the 7th day to do extra curricular actives.