Factors Associated with Participation in Elementary School–Based SARS-CoV-2 Testing — Salt Lake County, Utah, December 2020–January 2021

Lewis, Nathaniel M.; Hershow, Rebecca B.; Chu, Victoria; Wu, Karen; Milne, Alison T; LaCross, Nathan; Hill, Mary; Risk, Ilene; Hersh, Adam L.; Kirking, Hannah L.; Tate, Jacqueline E.; Vallabhaneni, Snigdha; Dunn, Angela

doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7015e1

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Schools serve as the main trusted point of contact for many families and are conveniently located in neighborhoods. In-school COVID-19 testing could be used to identify positive cases quickly and implement a quarantine strategy promptly to mitigate outbreaks, especially among populations with limited access to quality health care and COVID-19 testing ( Lewis et al, 2021 ). Although school-based COVID-19 transmission appears to be rare ( Dawson et al, 2021 ; Ladhani et al, 2021 ), clusters of transmission do occur ( Gold et al, 2021 ).…”

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confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Testing in Schools: Perspectives of School Administrators, Teachers, Parents, and Students in Southern California

Unger

Soto

Lee

et al. 2021

Health Promotion Practice

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Background School-based COVID-19 testing is a potential strategy to facilitate the safe reopening of schools that have been closed due to the pandemic. This qualitative study assessed attitudes toward this strategy among four groups of stakeholders: school administrators, teachers, parents, and high school students. Methods Focus groups and interviews were conducted in Los Angeles from December 2020 to January 2021 when schools were closed due to the high level of COVID transmission in the community. Results Findings indicated similarities and differences in attitudes toward in-school COVID-19 testing. All groups agreed that frequent in-school COVID-19 testing could increase the actual safety and perceived safety of the school environment. School administrators expressed pessimism about the financial cost and logistics of implementing a testing program. Parents supported frequent testing but expressed concerns about physical discomfort and stigma for students who test positive. Teachers and parents noted that testing would prevent parents from sending sick children to school. Students were in favor of testing because it would allow them to return to in-person school after a difficult year of online learning. Conclusion In-school COVID-19 testing could be a useful component of school reopening plans and will be accepted by stakeholders if logistical and financial barriers can be surmounted and stigma from positive results can be minimized.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Testing in Schools: Perspectives of School Administrators, Teachers, Parents, and Students in Southern California

Unger

Soto

Lee

et al. 2021

Health Promotion Practice

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“…First, we had a low participation rate in testing during the investigation, which was lower than in similar studies where in-school testing was offered to participants. 13 We speculate that this low participation rate could have been a result of COVID-19 fatigue, staff and students exposed in school receiving testing outside this investigation, or limited incentive for testing, as some school districts’ quarantine policies did not allow people to return to school early based on a negative RT-PCR test result. Second, a nasal swab was not offered as an alternative specimen collection method to saliva, and acceptance preferences do not reflect how participants would have responded if only a nasal swab had been offered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Acceptance of Saliva-Based Specimen Collection for SARS-CoV-2 Testing Among K-12 Students, Teachers, and Staff

et al. 2022

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Objective: Saliva specimens collected in school populations may offer a more feasible, noninvasive alternative to nasal swabs for large-scale COVID-19 testing efforts in kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) schools. We investigated acceptance of saliva-based COVID-19 testing among quarantined K-12 students and their parents, teachers, and staff members who recently experienced a SARS-CoV-2 exposure in school. Methods: We surveyed 719 participants, in person or by telephone, who agreed to or declined a free saliva-based COVID-19 reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction test as part of a surveillance investigation about whether they would have consented to testing if offered a nasal swab instead. We conducted this investigation in 6 school districts in Greene County (n = 3) and St. Louis County (n = 3), Missouri, from January 25 through March 23, 2021. Results: More than one-third (160 of 446) of K-12 students (or their parents or guardians), teachers, and staff members who agreed to a saliva-based COVID-19 test indicated they would have declined testing if specimen collection were by nasal swab. When stratified by school level, 51% (67 of 132) of elementary school students or their parents or guardians would not have agreed to testing if a nasal swab was offered. Conclusions: Some students, especially those in elementary school, preferred saliva-based COVID-19 testing to nasal swab testing. Use of saliva-based testing might increase voluntary participation in screening efforts in K-12 schools to help prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

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“…The CDC recommends that viral testing in schools should be part of a comprehensive prevention approach at all levels of community transmission (CDC, 2021f). In combination with other prevention measures, testing in school has the potential to reduce the transmission of infection among the school population and to reach underserved populations who have limited access to testing (Lewis et al, 2021).…”

Section: It’s Time To Get Children Back In Schoolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roadmap to Recovery: Year 2 of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Moss

2021

NASN School Nurse

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The COVID-19 pandemic altered traditional education models and school nursing practice during the 2020-2021 school year. As schools plan to reopen for the 2021-2022 school year, school nurses must arm themselves with the most recent evidence-based knowledge and tools to promote the health and safety of the school community. Schools will need to continue infection control measures and strategies to support the social emotional needs of students and staff to promote a safe and healthy learning environment on return to school. Partnered with local health departments, school nurses are vital to mitigation measures such as on-site viral testing and vaccination. A successful school year depends on strong nursing leadership.

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Factors Associated with Participation in Elementary School–Based SARS-CoV-2 Testing — Salt Lake County, Utah, December 2020–January 2021

Cited by 8 publications

References 5 publications

COVID-19 Testing in Schools: Perspectives of School Administrators, Teachers, Parents, and Students in Southern California

COVID-19 Testing in Schools: Perspectives of School Administrators, Teachers, Parents, and Students in Southern California

Acceptance of Saliva-Based Specimen Collection for SARS-CoV-2 Testing Among K-12 Students, Teachers, and Staff

Roadmap to Recovery: Year 2 of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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