Required testing is our alternative to requiring vaccination, so here is more information for those selecting that as an option.
More information on required testing
Jul. 30, 2021
Contributed by Communication Group Staff
The following update is being provided for all haumāna, faculty and staff at KS Hawaiʻi regarding the required testing protocols announced last week, which we will be initiating once the school year begins. ʻOhana with students who are not currently registered as vaccinated in the KS Vaccination Registry have been notified by email. If you have submitted your child's vaccination card and believe this is an error, please contact us and we will direct your concern appropriately.
If you still need to register, students should upload their vaccination card to the Mo'omō'ali Olakino Electronic Health Records portalfollowing the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Verification may take up to two weeks, but once verified, students will be emailed (to their imua.ksbe.edu email) a digital badge from the COVID-19 Response Team, which will officially signals that they no longer need to complete daily wellness check-ins or required testing. Instructions on how to do the update are available on our website.
Required testing is our alternative to requiring vaccination–so that we can maintain vaccination as a personal choice–and still provide an added layer of safety for our unregistered/unvaccinated staff and haumāna and our entire campus community. Our safety protocols, taken together, are what we believe is necessary to continue in-person learning, keep our school community safe, and prevent the spread of COVID. While our hope is that conditions improve so that we can lessen the layers of protection we have in place, with what we know right now, these are the right steps to take for the health of our community.
All testing will be saliva-based and is the same test kit as our voluntary surveillance testing program we began in March of last school year.
FIRST STEP: COMPLETE YOUR CONSENT WAIVER
All those being tested will need to complete a consent waiver to opt in to the testing option. A new consent waiver is required for the 2021-2022 school year. The consent waiver is necessary so that the vendor is able to release the COVID-19 test results to KS for an effective isolation/quarantine response in a timely manner.
GRADES 7 & 8
Testing will begin the week of August 9, with their first kits distributed to students during Block 1 on Monday to be taken at home. Students can drop-off their completed test kits to Mālama Ola health services under the large white tent on Tuesday mornings between 6:45 and 7:45 a.m. When they drop off their sample, they will receive their test kit for the next week. Test submissions will occur each Tuesday, from 6:45-7:45 a.m. under the tent.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Testing will begin the week of August 9, with test kits available for pick-up by students in designated locations on Mondays upon arrival and drop-offs taking place at the high school health room on Tuesday mornings by 8 a.m. Students will complete their test kits at home.
If students are not in school for any reason on Monday or miss the Tuesday drop off, alternative arrangements can be made, but a sample must be submitted each week.
If at any time alternative arrangements are needed, please contact your poʻo kumu or health room nurse for what will work best.
Here are some of the things testers should do prior to providing their samples:
Hydrate
Since the test is saliva-based, the better hydrated you are, the easier it will be to fill the tube. The recommendation is to consume at least 64 oz. of water the day before to ensure proper hydration.
Don't eat, drink, or chew gum for at least one hour prior to the test.
Not even water should be consumed for at least an hour prior to the test. Eating or drinking is allowed once testing is completed.
See the instructions below on how to collect your sample.
Test kits include a collection tube. We’ll collect 1.0-1.5 mL of saliva. Drooling is preferred as spitting can add air bubbles and mucus to the sample. Once done filling the saliva tube, seal and place the tube in the collection materials provided and testing is complete. You can also download a pdf of these instructions. Scanning will take place at the drop-off site.
See the video below for tips on how to provide a good saliva sample.
Results may take up to 72 hours and will be accessible through the KS electronic health record system (EHR) Mo'omō'ali Olakino. Find them in the Lab Results page. You will only be contacted if the result comes back positive. Because this is a KS-sponsored testing activity, it does not count for Daily Wellness Check-in purposes.
VACCINATIONS
If there is an interest in becoming vaccinated, vaccination options are available through a number of community providers or use https://vaccinefinder.org/search/. We will also host two on-campus vaccination clinics on August 6 and August 27, during the school day. If you are interested in participating, please contact us at kshawaii@ksbe.edu with the name of the student and grade level, and they will be added to our sign-up list and forms will be emailed to you to complete ahead of time along with more information on timing and appointments. To be fully vaccinated takes no less than five weeks, and weekly testing will still be required over that time period.
We will continue to monitor testing information, the testing process, as well as how our community continues to be impacted by COVID and will make adjustments as needed. Please reach out to your child's poʻo kumu if you have any questions or manaʻo.
Mahalo nui loa in advance for your commitment to this important kuleana.
Take home kits are provided for everyone participating in required testing. Here are some instructions on how to complete testing.
