TO help ensure the safest possible learning environment for all public school students and to alleviate the concerns of some parents, the Public School System will mandate regular antigen screenings starting Wednesday, Aug. 18, which is also the first day of the new school year.
Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada, right, underscores the importance of a safe learning environment for students and teacher during a special Board of Education meeting on Capitol Hill that was presided over by Chairman Andrew L. Orsini, left, background.
Students at the elementary level will attend face-to-face classes while middle and high schools will implement blended learning.
Commissioner of Education Alfred B. Ada, Ed.D. said the school-based antigen screening/testing will be conducted on Saipan, Tinian and Rota in partnership with the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.
He said the antigen screening will be made available to all PSS staff and personnel as well as students on a quarterly basis or more frequently if the need arises.
Antigen screening is minimally invasive and can be performed relatively easily with quick results, well within 15 minutes, PSS said.
This will allow schools to safely monitor the health of their staff and students, PSS added.
The Covid-19 antigen test uses a swab to take a sample from the nose. The sample does not need to go to a laboratory, and the test results are quicker than the Covid-19 PCR test’s.
PSS students will be tested using the Abbott BinaxNOW test kit.
Students will only need to perform a minimally invasive nasal swab and not the deeper nasopharyngeal swab, PSS said.
Medical experts say that getting an antigen test feels like cleaning your nose. There will be “minimal pressure.”
Screening sites
Parents are urged to regularly monitor their children’s respective schools for information relating to Covid-19 antigen screening and other important announcements. For more information, visit the PSS Facebook page or go to www.cnmipss.org
The screening sites on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 are GTC Elementary School and Koblerville Elementary School (8 a.m. to 9 a.m.); Garapan Elementary School and San Vicente Elementary School (10 a.m. to 11 a.m.); Kagman Elementary School; and Hopwood Middle School (12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.).
Also on Aug. 18, Tinian Elementary School will conduct antigen screening from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
The Rota screening site will be at Sinapalo Elementary School, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., also on Aug. 18.
On Aug. 19, the regular antigen screening will be held at Tanapag Middle School and Saipan Southern High School (8 a.m. to 9 a.m.); Oleai Elementary School and Dandan Middle School (10 a.m. to 11 a.m.); Francisco M. Sablan Middle School and Chacha Oceanview Middle School (12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.); Tinian Jr. Sr. High School (1 p.m. to 4 p.m.); and Dr. Rita H. Inos Jr. Sr. High School on Rota (8 a.m. to 10 a.m.).
On Aug. 20, the screening sites are Da’ok Academy (8 a.m. to 9 a.m.); Marianas High School (10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.); William S. Reyes Elementary School and Kagman High School (12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.).
Registration required
Parents are encouraged to register their children for the school-based screening by going online at https://covidtesting.chcc.health
Parents are required to provide parental consent and should prepare their children to ensure a calm antigen testing experience.
