Nickerson, Seaman, and other Kansas students exposed to COVID-19 can still go to class under Test to Stay program

The Hutchinson News - 8/25/2021

Aug. 25—Nickerson's new superintendent Curtis Nightingale is first and foremost an educator. For him, school comes first; that includes time in the classroom.

But with COVID-19 numbers once again rising, Nightingale was not sure how to keep kids and teachers in school when they were in contact with someone who contracted COVID-19 or the Delta variant. He started looking around at other school districts, and then the state health department contacted him and told him about a new initiative: Test to Stay.

"If you have a student who tests positive, percentage-wise, those students and staff have to quarantine," Nightingale said.

Test to Stay is a program of which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment approve. If someone in the Nickerson school district tests positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, they would immediately quarantine. With Test to Stay protocol, all individuals who came in contact with the ill person would get tested right away and then each morning before school begins.

By doing this, students who are not ill would not have to quarantine, but they would have to wear masks and physically distance themselves from others. Nightingale thought this was a way to keep students in school, learning and active.

The hitch was any school that decides to enact this policy must have the approval of their county health department. Nightingale went to the health department on Monday for permission.

"I asked them, 'Do we follow the KDHE and CDC guidelines or not?'" Nightingale said. "As of yesterday afternoon, the Reno County Health Department has agreed to let us apply for the grant. There are dozens of districts across the state that are already doing it."

Nightingale reached out to superintendents across Kansas asking how this worked for them. Superintendents from Shawnee County, Sterling, Kingman, Republic County, the Diocese of Salina, and several school districts in the Kansas City area replied. In addition, the Seaman School District, USD 345 in Topeka, is already on board with this program.

In Shawnee County, the program is called Test to Learn / Test to Play — indicating that a child who tests negative after being exposed to COVID-19 can still attend school and participate in sports if they follow certain protocols.

According to the Seaman School District's plan, fully vaccinated students may remain in school and avoid interruptions to in-person education, even if they are exposed to someone with COVID-19, as long as they remain without symptoms. All students must wear a mask.

"We implemented it (Test to Learn / Test to Play) with our return to school plan," said Candace LeDuc, a spokesperson for Seaman Schools. "We wanted to give another opportunity for kids to stay on site."

Nightingale brought his proposal of Test to Stay to the Nickerson Board of Education Monday evening. The plan passed.

"We're doing what we can to keep kids in school and keep the kids in the sports programs," board member Jay Mitzner said.

In Nickerson, if students test negative, they would be mandated to wear a mask, physically distance and continue to attend classes and after school events.

"Oftentimes, they don't test positive," Nightingale said. "We repeat this every day."

Parents can opt out of this protocol if they prefer and keep their child at home.

According to KDHE, participation in this testing strategy effectively reduces or eliminates the need for close contacts to miss in-person school after exposure to a case. Federal funding is available through KDHE to pay for staffing and supplies, including air purifiers and testing equipment.

Test to Stay was part of Kansas' Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students that was approved by the U.S. Department of Education on July 22. Kansas is receiving $831 million in funds from the government.

"At the end of the day, we are talking about the health of our students and educating our students," Nightingale said. "We will know right away if they test positive. They will get early care. This way we keep them in school and keep them active and involved."

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