A pilot program for a rapid-response COVID-19 test is underway in Mineola and other school districts around the state.

Superintendent Cody Mize announced on a virtual town hall last Wednesday that the district had received 595 tests from Abbott Laboratories and would have access to that many per month during the program. Only districts offering on-campus learning to all students are eligible.

The tests would target staff members who showed symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, or who were identified as having close contact with a person with the disease. Participation is voluntary.

Students would also be tested only if the district had received a signed consent form from parents.

“We are always going to communicate with you before administering the test,” Mize said about students.

Parents would also have access to the test results, he said, by email or text.

The district planned to begin the testing on Monday after a trial run last Thursday. Eight staff members previously took the test – all negative.

The tests can yield results in as little as 15 minutes and would provide a tool to help the district stop or control the spread of COVID-19, Mize said.

He said MISD has been fortunate to have so few cases. He said the district is a long way from having to close due to case numbers.

Since school reopened Aug. 13 there have been 27 cases among students, 16 of which were still active Monday, and 10 employees, nine of whom have recovered.

Mize noted that closing a campus would be more likely caused by a shortage of staff members than from student infections.

The district got to implement the new tests this week, after being alerted of a student case Saturday and another on Monday exhibiting minor symptoms.

Some 75 tests were given Saturday and Monday which showed three high school and ten middle school students testing positive, as well as a non-academic staff member.

The district has close to 1,600 students, and as of last week, 98% were participating on campus. That number has risen from 90% when classes resumed.

The tests are considered to be 98% accurate, Mize said. They use a nasal swab but are not nearly as invasive as the prior test types, he added.

The COVID-19 pandemic is “nowhere near over,” Mize said, and while it is easy to get complacent, the district will continue its health safety protocols, including temperature checks, hand sanitizing stations, masks wearing and social distancing.

“Complacency is a dangerous place to get,” he said

If a test returns a positive result, Mize said the district will follow the standard guidelines put forth by the Centers for Disease Control, as it has been doing in terms of quarantine protocols.

One listener questioned whether the tests could be used for large groups of students going on trips out of the district, such as the band to Colorado. Mize said it was a possibility.

The tests come at no cost to the district and were paid for by federal COVID-19 funds.