At-Home COVID-19 Test Kits for Spring Break

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Originally sent on March 9, 2022

Dear SFUSD Families,

COVID testing is a part of SFUSD’s layered strategy to keep our school safe, healthy and welcoming learning environments for our students. In the upcoming weeks, your child’s school will distribute COVID-19 at-home test kits for use at home when needed. 

SFUSD is providing these tests to encourage proactive COVID-19 testing, which can prevent exposures, outbreaks and unnecessary missed days for SFUSD staff and students.

Your child will receive 2 COVID-19 test kits along with a flier that contains information and instructions on the steps that you should take upon testing. The test kit may be an antigen or a molecular/PCR test. All tests are rapid tests that can be performed at home. An antigen test has two tests in one kit and the molecular/PCR kit has one test. If your child does not receive their two kits by March 24, please contact your school site directly.  

While testing is not required, we strongly urge you to use one of the test kits before returning from Spring Break to minimize the spread of COVID-19 after the holiday. 

Use one of the test kits before returning from Spring Break. 

  • If your child received an antigen test kit, use the first test in the kit on Thursday, March 31 and the second on Sunday, April 3, even if your child is not symptomatic. Do not split up the test kits between two people. 
  • If your child received a molecular/PCR test kit, you only need to test once. Use the test kit on Sunday April 3rd even if your child is not symptomatic.

The other test kit can be used for:

  • Return to school from isolation on or after 5 days.
  • If your student gets sick with symptoms (like cough and fever), stay home and use your tests to see if it is COVID-19.
  • If your student is exposed to someone with COVID-19, STAY HOME and use your tests on or after day 5. If your student is fully vaccinated or has had COVID-19 in the past 3 months, they do not need to quarantine and should continue to come to school in person as long as they don’t have symptoms.

Please review this flier that contains information and instructions on the steps that you should take upon testing, how to report your results, and what to do with your results. 

SFUSD will continue to offer multiple testing options, including Color self-swab testing at every school site with daily pick-ups, and on-site rapid antigen testing through Safer Together.  

Sign up for Color testing, available at every school site

Self-swab test results will be returned within 24 to 48 hours. Students must register for a Color self-swab testing account to activate the test kits. For help with setting up your student’s color account, you can

Safer Together rapid on-site COVID testing

Additional free, mobile, on-site rapid antigen tests are available to SFUSD families, students, and staff at several school sites. At-home rapid test kits will not be distributed at the Safer Together rapid testing sites.

Safer Together has now added Burton High School as one of its weekly rapid antigen testing sites on Wednesdays from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm to accommodate staff and students who could not make the earlier times at the other testing sites. 

Walk-ins only. No appointments necessary, but families are strongly encouraged to pre-register at bit.ly/sfusdtesting to cut down on wait times. 

Testing will be available to staff, students, and the SFUSD community. 

Testing options for people with symptoms or close contacts 

If students or staff become symptomatic while on campus, or are identified as close contacts, all school sites have unmonitored self-swab Color kits that can be used and dropped off on the same day.
 
For those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, please do not come into school. You may go to the Crocker-Amazon testing site. 

Testing options are available throughout San Francisco

You can also access testing at locations throughout San Francisco, which includes your primary health care provider and community and public testing sites. 
For more information about COVID-19 testing, or to find a testing site near you, visit sf.gov/gettested or call SFDPH’s COVID Resource Center at 628-652-2700.

Lastly, being vaccinated is an important way to prevent the worst symptoms of COVID-19. Anyone ages 5+ is eligible for a vaccine and anyone ages 12+ who have completed their first series of 2 doses are eligible for a booster. We strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated, and to keep their vaccination up to date to keep our schools safe. 

Thank you for your continued partnership.

Sincerely,
SFUSD