Information on COVID-19 group testing

In partnership with the Onondaga County Health Department (OCHD), the Baldwinsville Central School District will work with Quadrant Biosciences and SUNY Upstate Medical University to incorporate their Clarifi COVID-19 testing program.

Asymptomatic Group Surveillance Testing

Baldwinsville will offer frequent opportunities for asymptomatic testing. The “group” approach (also known as “pool”) is surveillance testing designed to check the status of a sample population of a school. This could confirm no trace of virus or serve as an early notification strategy for a person contracting the COVID-19 virus without having developed symptoms. Initially, we will work with OCHD to test weekly with a goal of 10% of students and staff.

This testing will be on a voluntary basis and will only occur for students with two signed universal consent forms (please refer to the information below). Each week, a random draw will occur from the list of participants. Parents will be notified of their child’s participation and will receive their test results via email. It takes about 24 hours to receive results from the pool testing. If a group tests positive, each of the 12 persons quarantine until the samples can be tested individually. A second test is not needed. Quarantines could be between 12 to 36 hours as individual samples are tested. All members of the group tested will be contacted with the results. The person who tests positive will need to quarantine for 10 days from the time of the pool test.

The test used will be the Clarifi COVID-19 Saliva Test that is a very simple and painless saliva swab that the student can easily self-administer with supervision, as shown in this short video.

REGISTER: In order to begin this process, parents willing to participate will need to register with the county selected vendor “Quadrant Laboratories, LLC” which can be found here or by using the link: app.Clarifi-COVID-19.com.  (You may wish to preview this video, which provides you an overview of the quick registration process.) Be sure to use the option “add a profile” for each child being registered. You will find the name of your individual school (C.W. Baker High School, Ray Middle School, Palmer Elementary School, etc.) rather than Baldwinsville Central School District as a whole. (Note: you do not need to “add a COVID-19 test” when prompted.) You will be asked to include information on Health Insurance, however you will not be billed due to the Federal Cares Act.

UNIVERSAL CONSENT FORM: Please download the Consent Form here to sign-up for pooled (grouped random surveillance testing). The Consent Form is also attached to this email. Please download, complete, sign, and print this form and return to your school.  

IMPORTANT: You must register: (1) Online with Quadrant Laboratories, LLC AND (2) Submit the Universal Consent Form to your school.