Modified: January 21, 2022 10:52am
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ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH LAUNCHES TEST TO STAY PROGRAM WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ERIE COUNTY, NY – Beginning this week, the Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) launched the Test to Stay program with 17 Erie County school districts and 11 non-public schools. These schools expressed an interest in implementing the Test to Stay option for their students, and will work closely with the ECDOH Epidemiology School Team to coordinate testing and data reporting. ECDOH shared information with these schools on how to pick up a supply of COVID-19 test kits, and the department hopes that many schools will begin this program by the end of the week.
The Test to Stay program allows students, who would otherwise be subject to quarantine at home, to attend classes following an in-school COVID-19 exposure, as long as they remain symptom free. Additional documentation from NYSDOH indicates that school staff are also eligible for this program. ECDOH is incorporating this and other updates into its protocols, and will communicate these and future anticipated updates regularly to participating schools.
Participating schools and school districts include*:
Alden Central School District
Akron Central School District
Amherst Central School District
Buffalo Public Schools
Cheektowaga Central School District
Cheektowaga Maryvale UFSD
Cheektowaga-Sloan Union Free School District
Clarence Central School District
Cleveland Hill UFSD
Depew UFSD
East Aurora UFSD
Eden Central School District
Erie 1 BOCES
Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES
Evans-Brant (Lake Shore) Central School District
Frontier Central School District
Grand Island Central School District
Hamburg Central School District
Iroquois Central School District
Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda UFSD
Lackawanna City School District
Lancaster Central School District
North Collins Central School District
Orchard Park Central School District
Springville-GI Central School District
Sweet Home Central School District
Tonawanda City Schools
Williamsville Central School District
West Seneca Central School District
Aurora Waldorf School
Bishop Timon - St. Jude High School
Buffalo Collegiate Charter School
Buffalo Seminary
Canisius High School
Christ the King School
Christian Central Academy
Elmwood Franklin School
Enterprise Charter School
Mount Mercy Academy
Nardin Academy
Nativity of Mary School
Nichols School
The Park School of Buffalo
St. Francis High School
St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute
St. Mary's High School
Sacred Heart Academy
South Buffalo Catholic School
South Buffalo Charter School
The Summit Center
Tapestry Charter School
West Buffalo Charter School
*This list is accurate as of 10p.m. on January 21, 2022. ECDOH expects other schools and school districts to participate in the coming weeks. Please contact your school's administrator for more information.
ECDOH also coordinates COVID-19 screening and proximate testing programs with a number of schools in Erie County. Parents and families should contact their child’s school principal or administration for information about what options are offered at their school.
Schools and school districts with a Limited Service License and medical director can email TTS@erie.gov to participate in Test to Stay. ECDOH is coordinating an option for schools without an LSL to have access to a license from a third-party. Schools can also email TTS@erie.gov to ask about that option.
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ECDOH, COVID-19 vaccine info & clinic schedule: http://www.erie.gov/vax
ECDOH, COVID-19 Information Line: (716) 858-2929 – foreign language interpretation available
ECDOH, COVID-19 Weekly Data Updates: https://www2.erie.gov/health/index.php?q=covid-19-media-data
New York State Department of Health, COVID-19 Boosters: http://ny.gov/boosters
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