LASD is partnering with the Mountain View Los Altos High School District / El Camino Hospital and Concentric to provide a full range of COVID-19 testing to keep our students healthy and in school.
COVID-19 testing is an effective way to reduce transmission, especially when layered with other precautionary measures such as universal masking, upgraded ventilation, proper hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting. Knowing the specific prevalence of COVID-19 in our schools allows us to make informed decisions about keeping our community healthy and keeping students in school.
The Los Altos School District is partnering with Concentric for weekly free, asymptomatic pooled COVID-19 testing for students. Testing will begin in September 2021.
➢ Why participate in pooled testing?
➢ How can my student participate in pooled testing?
➢ How does the pooled testing program work?
➢ How can I find out more information about local testing availability and quarantine guidelines?
➢ Informational Materials on Pooled Testing
➢ Testing Partnership with El Camino Hospital and Mountain View Los Altos High School District
➢ Other Frequently Asked Questions About Testing
➢ Video of LASD's Town Hall on Testing and Modified Quarantine
Why should students participate in testing?
There are a few very important reasons to participate in our pooled testing program.
- The more students who participate in the program, the more effective it will be.
- Asymptomatic testing helps safeguard the wellbeing of our entire school community by providing early detection of COVID-19.
- Asymptomatic testing gives your family information to keep your loved ones healthy.
- If there is a positive test result in the pool, students who participate in pooled testing may qualify for a modified quarantine and continue to attend school (if requirements are met), reducing time out of school.
How can my student participate?
Follow this link to sign your student up to participate in pooled testing. Use the code for your student's school (listed below) to fill out the consent form. It may take a few days for your consent form to be processed.
Pooled Testing School Codes
LASD-ALMOND
LASD-BLACH
LASD-COVINGTON
LASD-EGAN
LASD-GARDNERBULLIS
LASD-LOYOLA
LASD-OAK
LASD-SANTARITA
LASD-SPRINGER
How does the Pooled Testing program work?
Method
Participants will swab their own noses. Swabs are collected in classroom groups and sent for COVID-19 testing. Concentric staff will be present to ensure appropriate testing procedures. Students lower the mask to swab each nostril a specific number of times, making the time the mask is lowered extremely brief. Students will be outside for testing.
Timing
Testing will occur weekly for students at all grade levels at all school sites.
Participation is Voluntary
Only students whose parents/guardians have consented to testing may participate in the program.
Results
If the pool is positive for COVID-19, all members of the pool will receive an immediate, rapid COVID-19 test at their school site provided by Concentric.
- Positive Result: Those who test positive on the rapid test will immediately begin isolation. LASD and the student's physician will assist with further information and instructions.
- Negative Result: Those who test negative on the rapid test, may continue to come to school if they stay asymptomatic, receive another negative test through Concentric on Day 5 after exposure and do not attend after school or extracurricular activities. LASD will provide information and instruction to all students' families regarding modified quarantine.
Notifications and Response Times
For pooled tests, LASD will receive the aggregate result of the pool, not individual participants' results. Results are typically received in 24-72 hours. For individual rapid test results, LASD and the individual participant receive results of the COVID test within 24 hours.
What if my student does not participate in the pooled testing?
Testing is 100% voluntary and no one is compelled to participate. If your student does not participate in the Concentric pooled testing program and a pool identifies a confirmed positive case, your child will need to provide results of a negative PCR or (if asymptomatic) an antigen test from another provider in order to return to school. Additionally the student will need to provide test results taken on or after day 5 after exposure to continue coming to school. If the student does not want to receive testing for COVID-19, the student can instead remain at home in quarantine for 10 days following exposure.
By participating in the pooled testing program, testing will be available to the student on campus to facilitate staying in school in modified quarantine.
How can I find more information about local testing availability and quarantine guidelines?
Visit the Santa Clara County website for testing information. Please review the California Department of Public Health guidelines for K-12 education regarding modified quarantine.
Informational Materials
Sample Consent Form (en Espanol, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese)
How does pooled testing keep kids from missing school days?
The advantage to participating in the pooled testing program is that your student may be able to qualify for modified, in-school quarantine in case there is a positive pool testing result. If your student is not participating in the pooled testing program, the family will be responsible for COVID testing outside of school and on a set schedule for the student to continue coming to school under modified quarantine requirements. COVID testing outside the LASD pooled testing program will likely mean delays in testing and results, leading to students missing school. On-site rapid testing at school will help families meet the testing deadlines on Day 1 and Day 5 to keep their student in school.
Is it possible to join the program at a later date or is this the only opportunity? Can I wait until there is a positive pool test?
This is not the only opportunity. However, we encourage families to consent to testing now. Should a family consent at a later time, we will process the consent form as soon as possible. We discourage families from waiting to join pooled testing until there is a positive result. Due to the quick turnaround needed for rapid testing, Concentric will be unlikely to process the consent form within the short number of hours needed for your child to receive testing on campus.
My student is young. Will they get help with the test?
The nose swab process is easy, and children are capable of doing it. Concentric staff will be present to ensure appropriate testing procedures and help direct students, if needed.
How will pools be formed in middle schools where students don't have a unique classroom?
We'll test students at a specific time of the day and keep the same pooled group for testing throughout the year.
How do you keep my student's information private?
Concentric (the testing company) will never use test results for any reason other than to help your school make decisions about safeguarding its community and continuing in-person learning. Concentric provides pooled test results directly to schools and minimizes access to results to only people authorized by each school.
LASD is bound by privacy laws, like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, that strictly limits the data that we can release. Our district safeguards the privacy of individuals and only releases the data required by the county for reporting and notifications. Santa Clara County is required to protect your/your child's information according to confidentiality laws.
How accurate are the tests?
Molecular tests like the Concentric pooled test are typically highly accurate at detecting the virus that causes COVID-19. They validated the pooled test by comparing its performance against an FDA-authorized "gold standard" PCR test. The Concentric test correctly identified 96% of the positive tests detected by the PCR test and 100% of the negative tests (meaning that there were no false positives). The pooled results in the study matched the expected individual results 100% of the time.
While we understand a positive test result can cause concern, a positive result means the routine testing program is doing exactly what it was designed to do: monitoring pockets of infections. This can help our schools stop or mitigate potential outbreaks.
We don't want to participate in testing at school. Can we use a home COVID test?
Per Santa Clara County guidelines, LASD cannot accept at-home COVID test results because these tests may produce inadequate sample material and could be damaged by improper handling, thus producing false results.
Will parents receive the results of the Concentric pooled classroom tests?
LASD staff will receive the aggregate result of the pool, not individual participants' results. Results are typically received in 24-72 hours. If there is a positive, rapid follow up COVID testing will be done for those who participated in the pool. LASD and the individual participant receive the individual results of the rapid COVID tests. Results are typically received on the same day. LASD will immediately notify families of positive cases and exposures to positive cases.
If any of the children in my student's pool test positive, can my student participate in extracurriculars or after school programs if they test negative on Day 1 and Day 5?
Vaccinated students may do an in-person, modified quarantine at school and have no restrictions on whether they can participate in after school care/activities.
Unvaccinated students may do an in-person, modified quarantine at school, but may not participate in after school care/activities. Unvaccinated students may return to after school activities on Day 8 if they provide negative test results taken on/after Day 5 after exposure. Our LASD nursing team will provide you with the information to facilitate this process.
Unvaccinated students who are exposed to COVID-19 outside of school must quarantine at home for the full 10 days and cannot participate in after school care/extracurricular activities. Length of quarantine will be determined by working with the school nurse based on your unique circumstances.
Testing Partnership with El Camino and Mountain View Los Altos High School District
Los Altos School District is partnering with the Mountain View Los Altos High School District so that our students may go to either of our two local high schools to receive COVID-19 testing. This will allow our families to have better access to testing when their student either has symptoms of COVID-19 or is exposed to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.
For example, if a child in your student's classroom tests positive for COVID-19 outside of the pooled testing program, Concentric cannot test all students in the classroom due to limitations on their contract with the State of California. Therefore, to facilitate our students' return to school as soon as possible, families can access testing at the high school to obtain the negative test result needed.
For more information, please click here.