Key Messages: K-12 Statewide, In-School Testing

Testing is Key to Keeping Kids in School

• In-person learning is critical to a child’s well-being and academic success. COVID-19 testing will play a critical role in a schools’ ability to keep Minnesota’s kids in their classrooms.

• To help keep students in school, Minnesota is providing free, in-school screening testing options for public school districts, charter schools, tribal schools and nonpublic schools across the state.

• After vaccination, testing is one of our best tools to reduce the spread of COVID-19 along with masking, social distancing and other mitigation strategies.

• And slowing the spread helps protect our families, our communities and our schools.

• The State has expanded its statewide, in-school testing program to include more options for local districts so they can choose the best tests for their communities based on each school’s individual needs.

• Minnesota is providing the tests for free, and it’s up for local communities to decide what’s best for their students and educators so our kids can have a safe and worry-free school year.

We’re prepared

• The rise in cases due to the Delta variant is concerning but we’ve weathered this storm before and we know what to do to stop the spread—and now we have a vaccine.

• Between the vaccine, testing, masking, social distancing and other mitigation strategies—Minnesota is prepared to stop the spread and keep our children in school.

• We have built out a testing infrastructure that is unparalleled. Now we’re improving on that by offering more testing options to schools so they can decide what’s best for their students, teachers and staff.

• In addition to the free test kits for schools, grants will be made available for schools that are implementing a testing program. These grant funds can be used for supplies, staffing support for administering testing and other testing-related needs.

• Free vaccines have also been made available to all Minnesotans ages 12 and up through community vaccine clinics, pop-up clinics, the mobile vax buses and of course, local providers, hospitals and pharmacies.

• We have the solutions, and we know what to do. We’ve just got to do it.

• We must continue to work together to keep our students safe and to give them the best shot at a normal, worry-free school year in the classroom.

Kids Are at Risk of COVID

• COVID-19 is still a very real and present threat — especially in our schools and to our children under 12, who are still not eligible for vaccination.

• At this time, one-third of kids 12-15 years of age and almost half of kids 16-17 years of age are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but we have much more work to do.

• Unvaccinated kids remain vulnerable to severe disease and long-term health consequences from virus exposure.

• Testing is critical to identifying positive cases early so kids get the care they need and to help ensure their schoolmates stay healthy. Testing is also key to detecting the virus and slowing the spread in our communities and across our state.

• Minnesota has adopted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) school COVID-19 guidance for fall. The CDC’s best practice recommendations to protect students, teachers and school staff highlight screening testing as part of a layered approach to keeping kids in schools.

• Even with a mild case of COVID-19, children are still at risk of other long-term complications (e.g., “Long COVID,” MIS-C), and can spread the virus to others, including vulnerable family members and friends.

• Vaccination, testing and other mitigation strategies are critical to returning normalcy to our children’s lives. It is imperative that eligible students get vaccinated and Minnesotans keep testing to curb the spread of the virus.

School Testing 101

• Every school in Minnesota will have free access to individual saliva tests, pooled nasal swab tests and rapid tests.

• Schools will be able to determine what screening testing plan works best for them. The testing supplies and resources will be available through the state and federal government, and the control will be local.

• Tests can be used for screening purposes or for people that are symptomatic—Minnesota has adopted the CDC recommendations and highly encourages screening testing for all students, educators and staff.

• To help keep students in school, vaccinated students and staff should also continue to test, especially if they are symptomatic.

• Schools will also be able to access grant money to implement testing programs.

• In addition to in-school testing, students and families are encouraged to continue taking advantage of the state’s free at-home testing programs and seven community testing sites across Minnesota, as well as getting tested through local providers, pharmacies and clinics.