Important information about new Test to Return option for students, faculty and staff

The following letter was shared by Superintendent of Schools Shannon Shine with the Mohonasen school community on December 13, 2021:

Dear parents, faculty and staff,

I am writing to provide you with updates regarding Test to Stay and Test to Return options when students, faculty or staff are quarantined. Although you may have heard both of these mentioned by the Governor as options, that is not fully accurate. Individual county health departments have been given the authority to implement these options, or not, and they are also empowered to establish the specifics of either option if they choose to allow it. As of now, the Schenectady Department of Health has indicated they will NOT be allowing the Test to Stay option for districts in Schenectady County. They have indicated they WILL be allowing the Test to Return option, starting today, and they have provided this guidance document with the details, https://tinyurl.com/bdz9rwtc.

The essence of the Test to Return option is that whenever someone is quarantined, they either serve out the full ten days or they wait until day five or thereafter and go get a COVID test. Home tests are not accepted for this option. If it is negative and the person no longer has COVID symptoms, they may return to school on day 8, meaning they will end up serving 7 full days of quarantine and not 10.

Yours in service,
Shannon Shine