The district announced that optional PCR COVID-19 testing will be available to students on Monday, Dec. 21 and Tuesday, Dec. 22. The deadline for registering for a test has been extended to Thursday, Dec. 17 at noon.

Superintendent of Schools Greg Martineau sent an email to parents on Sunday, Dec. 13 informing families about the opportunity and how to register. The testing will take place at the school with the screening process being led by Director of Health Mary Ellen Duggan and the school nurses.

This is the first time the district has been able to provide students with widespread testing for free. According to the email, the cost for the testing will be covered by the CARES funding (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) of Northborough and Southborough. 

According to the email, the district has partnered with CIC Health to provide this testing to students having previously provided testing to faculty and staff. The past two staff screenings saw results in just 24 hours. 

On Wednesday, Dec. 16, Principal Sean Bevan forwarded students via email another message from the medical advisory team encouraging students to participate. 

According to the email, having the ability to test for COVID-19 is especially important before a holiday break as this not only provides the district with data to determine the effectiveness of the current model and safety procedures, but it also allows families to get tested before possible gatherings over break. 

“It allows us to understand if we have a prevalence of the virus in our immediate community and that’s especially powerful information to have if people are asymptomatic,” Bevan said. “It gives us a good understanding of what our data looks like in one snapshot.”

In the email, the medical advisory team also stated that it is necessary for families to still practice social distancing over break. 

“Our current very high community rates mean that it is absolutely critical to wear masks at all times when gathering with people you don’t live with, even if they have been in your ‘COVID bubble’ or ‘pod’ for many months,” the medical advisory team said in their email.