Byron-Bergen Central School District is NOT currently in a designated Yellow Zone. School districts that fall within a yellow zone are required to test 20% of their in-person students, faculty, and staff population on a weekly basis until the yellow zone designation is lifted or the school demonstrates a positivity rate below below the Yellow Zone percentage. Failure to meet the testing standards will result in a mandatory transition to a fully-remote learning model.
No student can be tested without parent or guardian consent. It is not mandatory to give consent but if the school is unable to gain 20% participation, the entire district will be required to move to a fully-remote model.
Should it become necessary, testing will take place at the end of the school day to help protect student privacy in the case of positive results. Parents or guardians of Elementary School students will be allowed to witness or administer the test in a designated location at the school. Parents or guardians also have the option to have the test administered by a family physician and submit the results to the school.
The test is a rapid antigen COVID-19 test. The results are available 10-15 minutes after it is administered. It requires a swab, roughly the size of a Q-tip, of the lower nasal passage. Monroe County Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mike Mendoza demonstrates the process in the brief video posted below.