HAMPTON — Superintendent Dr. Lois Costa would like to thank the state’s Department of Education for creating priority testing opportunities for students and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as share information about the testing itself.
The New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE) has announced that the state is offering priority appointments for students and school employees with symptoms of COVID-19. To review symptoms of COVID-19, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website by clicking here. This increased access to testing allows school districts across the state to more quickly obtain the information they may need for contract tracing and their COVID-19 response.
The closest testing locations for Hampton families are Core Physicians in Exeter and Appledore Medical Group in Portsmouth. Those who request appointments at these locations are expected to be tested within 24 hours of the request. To view a map of all available locations with priority testing for students and school employees, click here.
Based on the District’s current reopening model, students and staff are required to perform a self-assessment before coming to school each day. Should they show any symptoms related to COVID-19, they are asked to stay home and seek out testing.
The district is following a hybrid learning model, where students are split into two cohorts and alternate between remote and in-person learning. This allows for roughly 50% of the student body to be inside any district school at any given time.
“Special thanks to Commissioner Frank Edelblut for making arrangements with specific locations across the state to prioritize students and school employees for COVID testing within 24 hours,” Dr. Costa said. “This will help to expedite the process with identification and response, which will prove vital in mitigating any further spread of the disease in our community and allow us to continue following our hybrid learning model.”
For the latest updates, visit the District’s website by clicking here and its Facebook Page, @HamptonSchoolDistrict, here.
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