Click here for an informational video from the Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH)

The Ken-Ton School District is partnering with the Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) to provide in-school COVID-19 testing as an additional layer of mitigation. Testing is 100% voluntary. Students can participate in two types of testing: surveillance testing and proximal testing.

• Surveillance testing is a proactive measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools. Each week, 10% of participating students (ones whose families have signed up through the ECDOH website) will be tested in a designated area of the building.
• Proximal testing is a measure to monitor for potential spread of COVID-19 in a classroom where a positive case has been reported. This would typically be conducted 3-5 days after exposure to an individual who tests positive. All participating students (ones whose families have signed up through the ECDOH website) will be tested as long as they are not identified as close contacts.

These testing programs were made possible through federal funding and ECDOH has partnered with Buffalo Homecare and Quadrant Biosciences to implement this program. Both types of testing use a self-collected oral swab PCR test (children will be given a swab and will be able to swab the inside of their cheek with Buffalo Homecare personnel assisting). Any students may participate regardless of vaccination status. We tentatively plan to begin surveillance testing on Monday, October 4th and surveillance testing on Monday, September 20th.

If you choose to have your children participate, please follow these steps as outlined by ECDOH. You must complete both consent forms in Step 3 and Step 4 to ensure that your child is correctly enrolled in this program.

• Step 1: Watch the ECDOH Program Overview Presentation.
• Step 2: Watch the Quadrant Program Registration Video. Quadrant is the laboratory ECDOH is partnering with to process and analyze the samples collected.
• Step 3: Complete and submit the ECDOH Program Consent Form.
• Step 4: Register with and complete the Quadrant Program Consent Form.

It is important to note that you can withdraw consent at any time by emailing covidconsent@erie.gov and including your child's full name and date of birth. If you have any questions, please contact the ECDOH School Team at (716) 858-1918.

The CDC identifies in-school testing as an important layer of prevention, particularly in areas of high community transmission rates. Thank you for considering enrolling your child in this program.