Communications & Consent
Clear, consistent communications is critical to building support for the testing program within your community. This page includes examples and templates to help you with each step of the communications process.
What you can find here…
Three Phase Communications Plan
Before Launch
2 weeks before launch day
Host webinar for school leaders, teachers, and staff
Host webinar for parents and caregivers
Create webpage / send detailed email with program basics
Identify program champions within your district or program
Launching the Program
1 week before launch day & first week of launch
Send introductory email communications to families & staff
Post on social media platforms
Principals/Directors send school or site specific communications
After Launch
1 week after launch day & moving forward
Send or post a communication 1-2 times per week to update on program, share results, and increase participation
2 weeks post launch: host another webinar for school community
Organize phone campaign to increase program participation
Introducing the Program
Toolkit Template:
Slide Deck for Introducing COVID-19 Testing To Your School Community
Click the link to download & customize
Toolkit Template: Introducing the Program to Families
This template contains a template email introducing Routine Covid Safety Checks to families.
Click the button to download & customize
The CDC has created a toolkit with materials that school administrators can use to teach parents, students, and staff about school testing programs and encourage participation. Many of these materials are customizable and can be adapted according to the school’s needs.
Toolkit Template:
Take Home One-Pager for Parents
Toolkit Template:
Introducing the Program to Educators
This template contains an introductory email.
Click the link to download & customize
Key Messages for Students and Families
Routine COVID Safety Checks are one layer of protection that helps us attend school in person safely
Routine COVID Safety Checks can quickly detect, trace, and isolate COVID-19 positive individuals. This will help us lower the risk of transmission and allow us to have more consistent in-person instruction.
Safety Checks are quick and easy and are not painful or invasive
Participating in the safety check is free
The program is voluntary but is strongly encouraged to help reduce the spread of COVID-19
Guardians need to sign a one-time consent form for their students to participate in routine safety checks
The process is fast, easy, and does not hurt. Here are some video examples. We recommend you use one of these or create your own featuring a school leader or student
Video: Child Self-Swabbing
Social Story:What if I need to be tested for COVID-19? Developed by Community Autism Resources
Tips for Communicating with Students and Families
Remind families that “no news is good news”: if they don’t hear back about results, they can assume their student is negative
Communicate regularly with students and families about how the program is going
Ensure that consent forms are in multiple languages and available both on paper and electronically
Create and widely distribute a FAQ (see examples from Spring 2021)
Ensure any communication about the program is accessible and available in multiple languages. Utilize video if possible for greater accessibility
Create a short video showing how the test is performed, ideally in collaboration with a school leader and / or a student
Host a Facebook Live or Zoom webinar to review the safety check process and answer questions and concerns from students and parents / guardians
Post about Routine COVID Safety Checks regularly on social media and on your school website
Send regular texts, robo calls, and/or email about testing
Include in Superintendent / Principal newsletter
Key Messages for Educators and Other School Staff
We are offering Routine COVID Safety Checks as an additional layer to the protocols we have been taking to ensure that staff and students are as safe as possible
Routine COVID Safety Checks can quickly detect individuals positive with COVID-19. This will help us lower the risk of transmission in schools and allow us to have more consistent in-person instruction.
Schools that have implemented testing programs have done so smoothly with minimal interruptions to teaching and learning
The safety check is fast, easy, and painless
Tips for Communicating with Educators and Other School Staff
Host a webinar to clearly outline your plan for Routine COVID Safety Checks
Highlight the processes you have put in place to reduce concerns around disruption to class time. This should include clear scheduling logistics and staffing with timelines
For example: Medford Public Schools utilized testing stations for students to walk through; during week 2 of their program, full elementary school classes were able to come in and out of the station in under 5 minutes
Provide a clear FAQ that is posted on staff websites and included in other staff communications
Statewide Union Support for Routine COVID Safety Checks
Feb. 4, 20201 MTA / AFT-MA Webinar on pooled testing program
Getting Consent
CIC Health provides one consent form for all districts
https://www.cic-health.com/consent/ma
The form covers:
Routine Covid Safety Checks
Symptomatic Testing
Test & Stay for Close Contacts
Why do you need consent?
Because this is a medical procedure and in some cases you’ll need to report follow-up test results to public health officials, it’s important to get everyone’s consent up front - even educators, staff, and students who are 18 and over. An individual only needs to submit one form to give consent for testing. Forms can be submitted at any time throughout the year to join the program.
FAQ: Our school did testing in the Spring and already collected consent forms last year. Do we need to do them again?
Answer: Yep! This program is slightly different so you’ll need to get everyone to sign a new consent.
What specifically do I need consent for?
Administering and reporting any follow-up tests
Consent forms must include consent to transmit student information via the provided technology platform
Parents / guardians of all students should be informed that they may opt out of the voluntary testing program or revoke consent at any time for any reason.
Best Practices & Tips For Getting Consent
Communicate early and often about the program.
Offer support over the phone for those who need assistance or have questions. Allow for parents to give consent over the phone.
Push out reminders about the consent form regularly.
Try a “due date” to encourage sign ups prior to starting testing, but make sure it is clear that students can join the program at any time by submitting the consent form. Nearly all districts find that the size of the program grows over the weeks as word spreads among families that it is safe, gentle, and effective.
Some districts make testing mandatory for certain activities (sports, debate clubs, etc.).
Launching the Program & Increasing Participation
Signing students, staff and educators up is an ongoing process. Be sure to announce when the program begins via all your various platforms!
From Lexington Public Schools
From Plympton Public Schools
From Holyoke High School
Increasing Participation in the Program
Engage school leaders (principals, teacher leaders, school parent council members, coaches, etc.)
Repetition: establish a regular drumbeat about the programs importance
Build community: share why this is important to the school and the community
Goals: Set and share public goals for participation
Keep it simple: schools collect consent / permission forms for programs all the time. Don’t over-complicate it & think about what strategies have worked for you in the past.
Toolkit Template:
Flyers for Students and Families
Ongoing Communications
Launching the program is only the beginning! Regular communications via email and social media help showcase the results of the program and increase participation numbers.
From Attleboro Public Schools
From Medway Public Schools
From Medfield Public Schools
Communicating about Positive Cases
When you get a positive result, it’s critical to think about how you communicate with your community. When you are in an on-site pooling model, you will need to plan for clear and timely communication with those who need to return for follow-up testing. The details of what you communicate will depend on your specific follow-up testing protocols and schedule.
This section contains key messages and templates for communications about positive cases.
Key Messages
To your community - message this finding as a success and a reason for more people to participate in the program.
Stay calm and be clear about what a positive pool does and does not mean. It does mean that a positive case has been found in the school. It does not mean that everyone in the positive pool is infected or a close contact. It does not mean that everyone in the classroom of the positive case is infected or a close contact.
For on-site pooling, provide clear instructions to members of a positive pool about how and when to return for follow-up testing.