At 7:21p.m., on January 7, 2022, an HUUSD email to the school community reports that the district was able to provide rapid antigen tests to families of students and staff who need them to end quarantine and return to school next week. The district is offering an additional pick-up time on Sunday, January 9, from 2 to 4 p.m., at Harwood Union Middle and High School.
These antigen tests are only for students and staff who are currently in quarantine due to testing positive or being a close contact (note that not all close contacts are required to quarantine; see the letter explaining who is eligible) and for whom day five of quarantine is Saturday, January 8, to Tuesday, January 11. Here is a link for the full letter and explanation of who is eligible for these tests: https://huusd.org/blog/2022-01-07-covid-updates
Earlier on January 7 at 7 p.m., HUUSD reported seven cases of COVID in the district:
Brookside Primary School (three), Central Office (one), Fayston School (one) and Harwood Union Middle and High School (two). Identified close contacts have been notified via email.
Additionally, on Friday afternoon, January 7, the Vermont Agency of Education announced major changes in how schools will manage COVID going forward. AOE secretary Dan French said full details will be provided next week, but here are some highlights. Schools will stop contact tracing and weekly PCR surveillance testing in favor of rapid antigen testing. This change shifts the responsibility for testing from school staff to families. Parents will be notified if there is a positive case in their child’s class and students who had had two vaccine doses do not need to quarantine. (The table on the HUUSD differentiates between students who have had two doses and those who have been boosted).
Students and staff who are unvaccinated will be provided with five rapid antigen tests to take at home. If these daily tests are negative those unvaccinated students and staff can return to school. Rapid antigen kits will be available for unvaccinated students exposed to COVID outside of school.
