COVID MANAGEMENT AT SCHOOL

COVID MANAGEMENT AT ST AGNES' 2022

Rapid Testing, Management of Confirmed Cases and Household Contacts

Rapid Antigen Tests

- The school will provide you with RATs for your child/ren for the first 4 weeks of school (Hopefully our next delivery will arrive soon).

- Test your children on a Monday and Wednesday morning.

- The government has stated Rapid Antigen Testing is a voluntary surveillance safety measure for all primary and secondary school students.

- If your child has already had COVID-19 and completed their 7-day quarantine period, they do not need to isolate or be tested again for 30 days from the date they tested positive.

- Once the 30 days expires, you should resume the twice weekly testing and isolate if they are symptomatic or if they are a household contact after this time.

Steps if your child tests positive to COVID-19

Students who report a positive result must isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period and follow the steps below. A negative test is not required to return to school following completion of 7 days of isolation if there are no symptoms present.

1) If you tested positive using a rapid antigen test, you must report your result to the Victorian Government online, or call 1800 675 398. You don’t need to report your result if you tested positive from a PCR test. Read Reporting your result for more information.

2) Email Lachie Foott (lfoott@sahighett.catholic.edu.au or principal@sahighett.catholic.edu.au) to notify us child’s positive test, absence and to access learning materials for the 5 days they’ll be away.

Steps if your child is a household contact

Where a student is a household contact of a positive case (that is, they have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation, or care facility) isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period and follow the step below.

1)  Email Lachie Foott (lfoott@sahighett.catholic.edu.au or principal@sahighett.catholic.edu.au) to notify us of your child’s absence and access learning materials for the 5 days they’ll be away.

Please note:

- Household contacts are not subject to rolling quarantine periods. If the first household case remains in the household, or if subsequent cases are identified within the household, the quarantine end date for the close contact is unchanged.

- Students can safely return to school and do not require negative test documentation.

- However, if the student becomes symptomatic, they should get tested and not attend school.

Steps if your child is a school/classroom contact

If a child does test positive in your child’s classroom, the remainder of the class is not required to isolate.

1) If asymptomatic, other students should continue to attend school and monitor for symptoms. It is recommended that all continue with the twice weekly rapid antigen surveillance testing.

2) If symptomatic, a student must stay/return home, take a rapid antigen test, or get a PCR test if a rapid antigen testing kit is unavailable.

Please note:

- If a student is unwell they should not attend school

The information above is up to date as of the 2nd February 2022. Guidelines may change at any time and we will notify you of any changes to the procedures as they come out.