D70 Explores COVID Tests For Asymptomatic Students, Staff

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — School officials within District 70 are exploring whether to offer COVID-19 testing to asymptomatic students and staff through the end of the school year.

The school district is exploring offering the tests to asymptotic students and staff per the advice of D70’s legal counsel, said Chris Otto, director of special service for District 70 and member of the district's health advisory committee, during Monday's school board meeting.

The elementary school district switched to full days of in-person instruction for the majority of its students on April 12. Currently, 91 percent of elementary schools are in classrooms while 88 percent of middle school students have returned to Highland Middle School, according to administrators who provided updates on schools' reopening during the Monday meeting.

Prior to returning to the classrooms, the school board in February implemented voluntary COVID-19 testing for those showing symptoms.

Since then, 20 students or staff members have received the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test and all tested negative, Otto said Monday. Those who were showing COVID-19 symptoms then took PCR tests, which were also all negative.

• D70 Elementary Schools Returning To In-Person Learning In April

The D70’s health committee u unanimously recommended the school district not enact asymptomatic testing for students and staff.

Otto said the impact on instructional time, a lack of interest in testing, impact on nursing offices and the low incidence rate from tests while also considering the high cost associated with it were all reasons behind the committee's decision.

Otto said they reached out to nearby school districts, including Township High School District 113 and Deerfield Public Schools 109, which are offering or requiring the tests to get more information to help determine whether to recommend D70 do the same.

Within Deerfield 109, which requires in-person students and staff to take the tests every third instructional day, has had a test positivity rate for its kindergarten through eight grade students is .08.

The committee discussed testing only staff through the end of the school year, which would incur an estimated cost of more than $170,000. The committee also explored voluntary testing for staff and Highland Middle School students, which could amount t0 more than $435,000 through the last day of school on June 7.