In a Sept. 21 broadcast memo, the New Jersey Department of Education invited local educational agencies to participate in the New Jersey Department of Health’s COVID-19 testing program for school year 2022-2023.
This school year, COVID-19 testing will again be offered at no cost to New Jersey LEAs and nonpublic schools. State-sponsored vendors will provide over-the-counter test kits monthly to participating schools. Each school’s initial allotment will be two test kits per student and staff population per month.
Participating LEAs’ and schools’ responsibilities will include: following NJDOH’s COVID-19 testing guidance and school testing considerations; sending the test kits home with students for use; and continuing to report to the Surveillance for Influenza and COVID-19 Module in the Communicable Disease Reporting and Surveillance System as required by Executive Order 302 (2022) and NJDOH Executive Directive #21-011. Test kits must be stored in a cool, dry location.
Schools interested in participating in the program must complete the COVID-19 testing program intake form by Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. Please submit only one form per school. If you would like tests delivered to additional schools within your district, please submit a form for each school location.
Participation in this or any other testing program is purely voluntary. Pursuant to Executive Order 302, signed in mid-August, Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the requirement that school districts, childcare settings and state contractors maintain a policy requiring their unvaccinated workers undergo routine COVID-19 testing.
Please contact COVID.SchoolTesting@doh.nj.gov with any questions.