Original K-12 Testing Program

On January 18, 2022, DESE, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Public Health announced an update to the COVID-19 Testing Program for districts and schools. Specifically, districts and schools participating in symptomatic and/or pooled testing may choose to continue those testing strategies and discontinue contact tracing and Test and Stay. As an additional resource, districts and schools that elect to make this change will be provided with rapid antigen at-home tests for all participating staff and students that may be used on a weekly basis.

Districts and schools that decide NOT to participate in the updated testing options will continue to implement Test and Stay and contact tracing. This webpage includes information released under DESE's Original K-12 Testing Program, including previously recorded webinars, information regarding Test and Stay in before- and after-school programs, and template contact tracing letters.

Information on DESE's Updated K-12 Testing Program, including the new at-home antigen test option, can be found on the Updated K-12 Testing Program page of the DESE website.

Questions can be directed to k12covid19testing@mass.gov .

Original K-12 Testing Options:

Diagnostic Testing:

Symptomatic Testing: (for when individuals present symptoms while at school; individuals should not go to school if experiencing symptoms while at home): Shallow nasal swab samples are collected at school using the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test or another approved diagnostic test.
"Test and Stay" (close contact testing): Shallow nasal swab samples are collected at school using the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test or another approved diagnostic test. Tests are administered daily from the first day of exposure for a duration of five (5) days with testing occurring on school days. Districts should consult the Protocols for Responding to COVID-19 Scenarios for the implementation protocols for this program.

Routine COVID Pooled Testing:

Please note, following feedback from families and caregivers, districts are encouraged to use the phrase "routine COVID safety checks" to describe what we previously called "pooled tests" when communicating with families/caregivers.

Routine COVID Pooled Testing and School-Based Follow-Up Testing: Shallow nasal swab samples are collected at school and put into a single tube (maximum of 10 samples per tube). If a group tests positive, individual Follow-Up testing with a second sample collection occurs at the school with BinaxNOW and/or individual PCR testing, as necessary.
Routine COVID Pooled Testing and Lab-Based Follow-Up Testing: Shallow nasal or saliva samples are collected and kept separate before being grouped at the lab. If a group tests positive, individual Follow-Up testing occurs at the lab, without a second sample collection. Individual test results are reported to the school.

Documents for Schools Participating

Letter Templates for Families

COVID-19 Testing Letter to Parents — coming soon
Positive Case Letter — All Families — coming soon
Positive Case Letter — Close Contacts — coming soon
Rapid Test Result Letter to Parents — coming soon
Safety Checks Graphics for District Websites

Test and Stay in Before- and After-School Programs

Additional Documents

DESE/DPH Joint Memo on New COVID-19 Testing Program Option for K–12 Schools — January 18, 2022
Contact Tracing — District Data Template

Webinar Recordings and Slides

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions for the COVID-19 Testing Program & Reporting Positive Results to DESE, August 24, 2021, updated September 22, October 7, and October 22, 2021

Additional Documents for BinaxNOW Testing

School Health Trainings

The Department of Public Health's School Health Unit is hosting train-the-trainer sessions for school nurses and other school health professionals who will be administering the BinaxNOW diagnostic test. The training consists of an approximately 30-minute presentation by Abbott staff, followed by an anterior nasal swabbing demonstration by the DPH Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences Senior Public Health Nursing Advisor, and concludes with school nurses performing an anterior nasal swab return demonstration and performing the point of care test with the BinaxNOW card. Additional trainings have been scheduled. To sign up for one of the future trainings, please go to the BU Shield website. (Please note: You may participate only if you have your BinaxNOW kits shipped and on-hand. You will be unregistered if our records show you have not yet been shipped test kits.)

BinaxNOW Resources for Test Administration

Last Updated: January 31, 2022