INDIANA – The U.S. Department of Education is working to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Starting in December, the department will allow schools to order free COVID-19 tests to give away to school communities.
“Making free COVID-19 tests available to schools this year ensures that students and staff can test throughout the winter months,” said Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Keeping students and teachers safe has been a priority of the Biden-Harris Administration since day one. Making free COVID-19 tests available to schools this year ensures that students and staff can test throughout the winter months. The partnership announced leverages ASPR’s ongoing test distribution programs to reach school communities through ED’s close relationship to school districts – helping keep communities healthy.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, school closures related to health and safety concerns remained a hot-button issue.
“The Biden-Harris Administration remains a committed partner with schools in keeping our students and teachers safe and healthy,” said ED’s Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development Roberto Rodriguez. “These self-tests are easy to use and can play an important role in preventing the spread of COVID-19. We encourage schools to make use of these free resources to safeguard students, parents, and staff throughout the 2023-24 school year.”
The free tests come from a partnership between the U.S. Department of Education and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.
Interested schools are encouraged to order over-the-counter rapid antigen COVID-19 self-tests directly from the federal government. Each district should designate a point of contact to determine how many tests to order and how frequently. The POC will be responsible for managing the distribution.
Education Assistant Secretary Roberto Rodriguez said, “We encourage schools to make use of these free resources to safeguard students, parents, and staff throughout the 2023-24 school year.”
The Department of Education said it will take 7-10 business days to process each district’s request to register for the COVID-19 Testing Supply Program.
