October 8, 2021
Dear Staff, Students, and Parents:
Brunswick Schools have been working hard to provide safe learning environments for all staff and students. I wanted to share some updates and reminders about some of our health and wellness protocols.
Pooled Testing
We completed our first round of pooled testing on October 4 and 5. Overall, it went smoothly.
We will only notify members of a pool if their pool is positive. If pool members are not notified, their test was negative.
Brunswick School Department will provide follow-up testing for members of positive pools using the BinaxNOW test. District personnel will administer the test during the school day as soon as feasible after the results are received.
Kate Furbish Elementary School will not be testing on October 11 due to the holiday. We are not able to test KFS students on an alternate date. KFS students will next test on October 18. HBS and BJHS will next test on October 12.
As a reminder, per Maine CDC guidance, unvaccinated close contacts must quarantine unless:
they participate in pooled testing; AND
they are a close contact from that pool; AND
they test negative in the follow-up testing.
Individuals who meet these criteria may continue to attend school although they must still quarantine in the community.
Parents and staff can still opt in to testing using the directions below. Please note that it takes a few days to add pooled testing participants to the system.
Click the appropriate link:
Student Consent Link (If you are filling this out for multiple students, you will need to complete a separate consent for each student. )
Staff Consent Link (Staff consent requires creating a free account with Concentric by Ginkgo.)
Enter this access code for where your student attends or where you primarily work:
Kate Furbish Elementary School: KFS2021
Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School: HBS2021
Brunswick Junior High School: BJHS2021
Follow the prompted steps and submit at the end.
We intend to expand pooled testing beyond grades PreK-6. The schedules and logistics in grades 7-12 present challenges which we are reviewing. We will provide updates on this expansion as they become available.
Return to School Guidance
Please remember to monitor your/your student’s health and to stay home when you/they feel sick.
For staff and students who experience symptoms and have no known exposure to COVID-19, please follow this guidance based on the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics protocol:
Lower Risk Symptoms
Headache
Runny nose / congestion
Nausea / vomiting / diarrhea
Fatigue
Muscle pain
Higher Risk Symptoms
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
New loss of taste or smell
Fever 100.4 or higher, chills, shivering
Sore throat
For those experiencing 1 Lower Risk Symptom:
Return to school 24 hours after symptom is improving; OR
Call your primary care provider if symptom does not improve after 24 hours
For those experiencing 2 or more Lower Risk Symptoms or at least 1 Higher Risk Symptom:
Stay home for 10 days then return after fever free without fever-reducing medication for 24 hours; OR
Return to school after testing negative and sending test results showing student name, collection date, and result to the appropriate school nurse.
KFS: Janet Rivard, jrivard@brunswicksd.org
HBS: Melinda Nadeau, mnadeau@brunswicksd.org
BJHS: Jennifer Bowdish, jbowdish@brunswicksd.org
BHS: Jennifer Strout, Jstrout@brunswicksd.org
Home COVID-19 Tests
Brunswick School Department does not accept “Home COVID-19 Tests” as proof of negative results for returning to school after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
Flu Clinic
Consider getting a flu shot this year! Parkview is hosting drive-thru flu vaccine clinics this month. For more information, visit: Flu Prevention
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Shawn Lambert
Assistant Superintendent