FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has laid out its plan to start COVID-19 testing for staff, unvaccinated students and student-athletes.
The program will begin on Nov. 1 and is only required for contracted/hourly staff and for student-athletes. For other students, parents will have to opt into the program and give their consent.
Compulsory weekly coronavirus testing for student-athletes and contracted staff will also start on Nov. 1. Random testing for elementary students begins on Nov. 8 with parent consent. Middle and high school students will begin random coronavirus testing on Nov. 15 with parental consent, and hourly staff will also begin required testing that same week.
The county is using a third-party vendor to do the testing, and FCPS said parents will be notified of their children’s results.
The school system is also planning to help with the rollout of vaccines for kids between five and 11-years-old pending emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The superintendent presented the plan at a school board meeting on Tuesday and said the testing program can change based on transmission rates.
“If COVID transmission goes too low, we have plans to stop the testing assessment. It’s not a CDC recommendation,” Dr. Scott S. Brabrand, FCPS Superintendent, said. “We’re currently insubstantial. We were in high. If it goes to moderate, we would continue with a testing program. But, if the mass vaccination program we just shared with you is successful over the next two months and we see our COVID transmissions in the community go low, this is something we would put on pause and only return to if we saw transmission tick back up.”
Parents can sign their kids up for this testing program by using an online portal that will be provided by the school system.