Test Kit Distribution

Dear Champlain Valley School District Community,

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our communities as Vermont students return to school, we are encouraging you to have each school-age child in your household take two COVID-19 rapid tests. The State will be providing kits to families of school-aged children through locations across the state so they can know their students return to school healthy and ready to start the new year. The tests are not a requirement for students to return to school.

1. The Vermont Department of Health has distribution sites throughout the state over the next two days (Thursday, Dec. 30 and Friday, Dec. 31). Parents and caregivers should register their school-age children to pick up a kit at a site near them. To register for an appointment to schedule a time to pick up your student’s kits, please go to healthvermont.gov/student-testing.
2. Once you have collected a test kit, please have your student(s) take these tests at least 24 hours apart, starting two days before school begins. So, if your child begins school on January 3, 2022, they should take the first test on January 1 and the second test on January 2.
3. If your child’s test is positive, please report the positive test result to the health department (Go to: Healthvermont.gov/testing and use the “online form to report your results”). Please also share that information with us by sending an email with your child’s name, school, and grade to cvsdcovid@cvsdvt.org. Follow instructions for What to do if you test positive (Go to: Healthvermont.gov/covid-19/symptoms-sickness/).
4. If both of your child’s tests are negative and they are asymptomatic, they can return to school.
5. As of now, the Vermont Department of Health has not changed the timeline for the isolation of positive cases from 10 days. We will, of course, keep families and caregivers posted if/when that changes.

For additional guidance about COVID-19, consult the health department. Any child experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home from school regardless of their test result. Families should continue to monitor their students for COVID symptoms daily. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Some people have reported additional symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, nausea, lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. Parents and guardians of students or staff exhibiting symptoms are asked to contact their family physician, the Vermont Department of Health, and the school nurse. As always, the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families is our top priority.

Thank you, again, for helping keep Vermont and our schools healthy.

Rene Sanchez, Superintendent