Arcadia Unified offering free COVID-19 tests for every spring semester student

Arcadia Unified School District provided, and will continue to provide through the month of January, a free rapid take-home COVID-19 test kit for each student in the district. They held a drive-thru pick-up event on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5 at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center — which is on the Arcadia High School campus — located at 188 Campus Drive, from 4:30 p.m. through 7:30 p.m. both nights. 

Each Arcadia Unified student was eligible for a test kit that has two tests in it, as they had one kit available per student. However, students and families were and still are not required to take a test as of Jan. 5.

In addition to these rapid tests, which were provided by the California Department of Public Health, the district also has their regular testing center located at the Arcadia Education Center, which is available for both AUSD students and staff free of charge. 

You can read more about the available tests and hours of operation at https://www.ausd.net/apps/pages/covid19testing.    

To help with efficiency and to ensure that the AUSD Health Services team can assist staff, students, and parents as quickly as possible, the district is asking that families use their online system to report a positive COVID-19 case, a COVID-19 exposure, or symptoms possibly related to COVID-19. 

The link to do so is at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXMtbmCjg25aaaOmw8qNszRwq-gU-g-p4i9bBasi2tLYxD4w/viewform.

For parents of students who are also seeking testing kits, the L.A. County Home Test Collection program is offering free, at-home COVID nasal swab test kits via mail to all L.A. County residents who have experienced COVID-19 symptoms or believe they may have been exposed. 

These kits are free of charge and can be requested through the program’s website at www.covid19.lacounty.gov/hometest.

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