Dear Pioneer Parents and Guardians,

 With the health and safety of our students' and staff remaining a top top priority in our District and in an effort to prevent unnecessary quarantine of students, we have recently partnered with the California Department of Public Health to offer a free voluntary rapid COVID-19 testing program.  We are adding this process in an effort to keep students in school by facilitating the testing requirement of a modified quarantine should a student be a close contact.  This sheet contains information to help you understand the benefits of this testing program. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity.

The test that will be used is the Abbott BinaxNOW is a rapid antigen test designed to test for the SARS CoV-2 virus with results available in 15-30 minutes.

The benefits of taking this test:

• Results of this test can help keep your student in school. Students who are determined to be a close contact to a symptomatic or positive case while wearing a mask may stay in school if they remain asymptomatic and get tested. Rather than send your child home and require you to obtain a COVID - 19 test, we will be able to test your child at school. 
• This will keep our school community healthy by limiting the spread of COVID-19.
• Results are available in as little as 15 minutes. 

 Should you choose to register your child, they will only be tested if they show symptoms and/or are a close contact. This will aid in the decision to quarantine or not. The antigen test is not as sensitive as a PCR test. Because of the lower sensitivity of antigen tests, more frequent testing is recommended. Although this test was designed to test symptomatic people, it can be a good tool for screening individuals without symptoms. 

 If a participant tests positive, they are likely infected with the SARS CoV-2 virus and you will be contacted immediately by the school to pick up your child. A confirmatory PCR test may likely be needed and you should contact your child’s medical provider and follow the CDC quarantine guidelines. The school will work with you and the local health department to determine the best course of action for your child to return to school safely.   

 Basic information about the program:

• Testing is not required but is highly encouraged. Doing so will allow your child to continue to attend school during a modified quarantine should they remain asymptomatic and test negative.
• Pre-registration is recommended and collects necessary information and consent. 
• All questions included in registration are required for California State public health reporting.
• Program is free for all participants. 
• Information and test results are only shared with the testing site, lab partners, and local/state health departments. It is not used for any other purposes.
• All results are shared electronically with the contact person provided during the registration process. 

This testing is through Primary Health and will begin in January. When registering, please enter  parent contact information and email so that you receive the test results. To register your student, you may do so in one of the following ways (use “student registration” option when registering your child):

 Click this link - https://my.primary.health/l/pioneerunion for registration and consent forms.  You only need to register once, and it will take no longer than 5 minutes. Please do not register each child more than once.

1. Use the QR code to register.
2. If you would like a printed consent form, please contact your child’s school.      

 Thank you for helping us stay safe, prevent outbreaks, and keep students in school!