Program to avoid COVID quarantines expands to all Fayette elementary, middle schools

All public elementary and middle schools in Lexington — instead of just 11 — will offer families the opportunity to send their students to school rather than having to miss instruction by quarantining at home after an exposure to coronavirus at school.

Fayette Superintendent Demetrus Liggins said Tuesday night in a letter to families that following the success of the Test to Stay in School pilot program over the past month, the district has begun expanding it to other schools.

With the addition of Arlington, Sandersville and Veterans Park elementary schools in the past week, the district has 11 schools in the program.

“This week we will be training staff from other elementary and middle schools in the program procedures with the intention of providing this opportunity at all elementary and middle schools,” the letter said. “After this semester we plan to reevaluate and possibly expand to our high school campuses in the new year.”

The Test to Stay in School option was developed in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Kentucky Department of Health and the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

The optional program allows students who are exposed to the virus in school-related settings only to continue to attend school if they are not experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, and they test negative during free on-campus testing before school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

As of Tuesday, there were 340 students and 4 staff members in quarantine, according to the district’s COVID-19 dashboard.