- Evanston/Skokie School District 65
- Test to Stay
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Test to Stay Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to maximize safety and further support community understanding of the District's Test to Stay program have been posted to this page. Any additional questions may be sent to the student's school’s health office. Efforts will be made to answer all outstanding questions to the best of the district's ability.
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Who can participate in Test to Stay?
Only students who had an in-school exposure may participate in Test to Stay. Test to Stay is not available for household exposures. Test to Stay is only applicable when both the COVID-19-confimed case and close contact were engaged in consistent and correct use of well-fitting masks, regardless of vaccination status.
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What do I need to bring with me for testing?
Your child will need to have been previously entered in SHIELD’s Point and Click system and they should have a QR code generated. If they do not participate in testing at school, the health office will need to make sure they are in the system and print a QR code out for you. If your child comes to test without their QR code, they can still test by providing their birthdate, as long as they are registered in the system.
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Can my child eat or drink before testing?
Your child should not eat or drink anything except for water 1 hour prior to SHIELD testing.
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Will I be notified of my child’s testing results?
You will only be notified if your child’s test results are Positive, Rejected or Inconclusive. If you do not hear from the school, your child’s results were negative.
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How long does it take to get testing results from SHIELD?
Testing results are usually available within 24 hours. There have been a few times when they have arrived later, though this is rare and SHIELD recently opened a new testing lab to help ensure results arrive within that 24 hour window.
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Can I test my child at home or somewhere else, or do they have to test through SHIELD in D65?
Testing has to be done through SHIELD for Test to Stay.
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What if my child’s test comes back inconclusive or is rejected by SHIELD for any reason?
If your child has an inconclusive result or test that is rejected, they will have to stay home that day. However, they can come back the next day to test again and if that result is negative, they can return once that result is received.
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What if my fully vaccinated child is a close contact?
If your child is fully vaccinated (two weeks after the second dose), they do not need to quarantine. You should monitor for symptoms and they should test in 5-7 days following the last exposure to the positive individual.
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What if we find out over the weekend and miss the first day of testing?
When testing in the outlined cadence is not possible due to weekends and holidays, students and staff enrolled in TTS should be tested at the earliest possible opportunity.
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Where can I find more information on COVID-19 health procedures?
As the pandemic and public health guidance continues to evolve, we will adapt our mitigation measures as needed. As additional guidance is finalized it will be added to this page and communicated to our community. We are grateful for the support of our medical advisors and direct collaboration with local health departments. The Evanston and Skokie health departments will continue to manage positive COVID-19 cases, contact tracing, and quarantines with support from the District.
