Melrose Schools Pool Testing Program Off To Encouraging Start

MELROSE, MA — None of the first 78 pool samples gathered in the state-backed COVID-19 testing program for Melrose Public Schools came back positive, though only about a third of students and staff have given consent to be tested.

"This has been nothing short of massively complex to get off the ground," Superintendent Julie Kukenberger said in revealing the numbers at Tuesday night's School Committee meeting.

Thirty of the 31 pools in the first week of testing came back negative. One that had samples from only adults came back inconclusive, triggering a rapid-test of everyone in the pool; Everyone tested negative.

All 47 pools submitted Monday tested negative.

Pools are made up of samples from anywhere from 5-10 people.

While the initial numbers are encouraging, the participation rate may temper optimism. As of Feb. 11 only about a third of eligible students and staff consented for testing (not including another testing program at the Franklin School,) something Kukenberger said was due in part to a cumbersome consent process the district is working to streamline.

"There is definitely potential to expand the consent," she said.

The testing program is backed by the state until March 28. The district will decide before then whether to extend testing beyond that date.

The School Committee was meeting just hours after the state gave perhaps its strongest push yet to get children back into schools.

"At some point, as health metrics continue to improve, we will need to take the remote and hybrid learning models off the table and return to a traditional school format," Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley said Tuesday morning.

Kukenberger said the district is working to bring back as many children as possible, starting with the elementary students. The district will only do so maintaining 6 feet of distance, she said.

"Our goal is to maximize our limited capacity at this time," she said.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.