5 reasons Why School is the Best Place to Test Kids for COVID-19

July 19, 2021

 With hundreds of thousands of students heading back to school next month, schools are looking to reassure parents and teachers that they are COVID-19 safe.  A key strategy to this is back-to-school testing – identifying positive infections, particularly among kids who often do not show symptoms.

Early detection can prevent the spread of COVID-19.  Kids that test positive can quarantine, preventing further spread among other students, teachers and staff at school as well as family members at home. 

While there are many places in the community to do testing, school seems to be the obvious choice for these 5 reasons:

1. CONVENIENCE

Your kids are already spending 6 hours a day or more at school. Particularly if you have young ones, you may be dropping them off and picking them up every day. Since your child and you are already going to the school, why not do the testing there in a secure and private room or even right in your car. You can be even be there with them for parent coaching and morale support. This saves you a trip to get them to a testing facility or waiting around at the doctor’s office.

2. SAFE PLACE

Your kids are comfortable in a place they know and trust. They are surrounded by other students, teachers and staff that they know. If they have questions about the test, they feel comfortable asking for more information. You can even be there with them to praise them even more.

3. FREE SERVICE

Many schools will be getting state and federal assistance to administer testing for COVID-19. You do not have to worry that your kid forgot to tell you that they needed a fee for the test. There will be no bills, invoices or surprise paperwork.

4. EVERYONE IS GETTING TESTED

In order for the testing to be effective, as a strategy to keep kids safe, everyone has to participate. As a parent, you will have one less thing to monitor, since the schools will have testing in place for all kids as a regular part of back to school activities. You can feel a little better about the fact that all the kids at school are getting a test, and that precautions for spreading COVID-19 are in place.

5. TESTING IS EASY AND PAINLESS—JUST SPIT

Everyone has seen the swab tests which can be uncomfortable and even sometimes painful. The ASU bPCR COVID-19 test—the test that most Arizona schools will be using—is a saliva test. Kids just have to spit into the sample collection tube. It’s easy and non-invasive. Plus the saliva test is many times more accurate that swab tests. Our kids told us that it was actually fun!

We must all continue to be vigilant in other proven measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – hand washing, wearing a mask and keeping a safe distance.  Testing, in addition to these other measures, will assist us in getting ahead of the spread, and potentially save others from contracting the virus.