Red Clay Launches COVID-19 “Test to Stay” Program
Help keep our students safe — and schools open statewide.

Along with preventing COVID-19 through vaccination, testing is an important way to identify and stop the spread of the virus in our community and maintain in-person instruction throughout the school year. As you know, we have partnered with the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) and Quidel to give students access to free, weekly COVID-19 tests through the in-school surveillance testing program. Starting on Monday, December 6 at 4 PM, Red Clay will also provide testing for students who may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and have been instructed to quarantine, through a new Test to Stay program.

This Test to Stay program is offered as an adjunct to our current COVID-19 weekly testing program through a statewide partnership with Quidel. To be eligible for the Test to Stay program, students will first need to be signed up in our COVID-19 in-school surveillance testing program system. Test to Stay, which follows DPH guidance, would allow a student to attend school even if they have been exposed to COVID-19, as long as they meet the following criteria:

• They notify the school nurse of their intent to participate
• They show no symptoms
• They test negative daily (Sunday through Thursday evening)
• They correctly wear a mask indoors when at school
• They continue to quarantine when not at school

To learn more about the Test to Stay program, testing locations and hours, and why it’s important to enroll your student, please visit redclayschools.com/testtostay.

COVID-19 cases are still a significant concern in our community—and testing through programs like ours is one of the best ways to identify them and stop the virus from spreading. And remember, the more Red Clay students we can enroll, the more effective it will be. If your student is not yet fully vaccinated, enroll in the in-school surveillance testing program now, so you can participate in Test to Stay.

If your student is fully vaccinated, there is no need to participate in weekly testing or Test to Stay testing.

Red Clay staff members are also welcome to participate in the Test to Stay program.

If you have any questions about the Test to Stay program, contact Mandy Pennington, MSN, RN, Supervisor of Health Services, at mandy.pennington@redclay.k12.de.us.