Rye Schools Looking for Community Health Testing Partner – Your Help

Rye Schools sent an appeal to the community Thursday morning for residents that might be able to assist in identifying a community health partner able to support weekly COVID testing of 700 individuals. If you can help, please contact the school directly (see below).

The testing will be required if Rye is designated a micro-cluster zone. Port Chester is already an “Orange Zone” and the City is investigating if parts of Rye are in fact in a “Yellow Zone”. That’s a way of saying this need is urgent.

(PHOTO: The latest micro-cluster zone map shows the urgency to identify a testing partner for Rye schools.)

From: Eric Byrne
Date: Thu, Nov 12, 2020 at 11:15 AM
Subject: Assistance Needed With COVID-19 Testing
To: Rye City School District Recipients

Dear Rye Community,

I am writing to ask for help from our community. As COVID-19 rates increase in our area and neighboring communities, like Port Chester and portions of Rye Brook, are designated as yellow and orange micro-cluster zones, the Rye City School District is working to do everything in our power to avoid having to close schools if Rye is designated a micro-cluster zone.

Governor Cuomo announced last week that communities designated as a yellow zone are required to close schools until weekly testing of 20% of the school population (both students and staff) is taking place. Schools are not legally allowed to test until they are designated a Limited Services Laboratory (LSL). To obtain this designation, New York State has directed that school districts establish partnerships with community medical organizations to facilitate the required COVID testing. In addition, we have been directed to work with our local health department to develop a testing strategy. We are currently working with the Westchester County Department of Health, however, it has been made clear that they have very limited ability to assist us due to the increase in COVID cases and sparse testing resources provided by the state.

In order to find a community health partner with the capacity to support the weekly testing and analysis of approximately 700 individuals, we need help. If you know a local medical laboratory or organization with the capacity to assist with this amount of testing and analysis, please contact me directly at [email protected].

As always, we will continue to do everything in our power to keep our students, faculty, and staff safe and to keep our schools open. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Eric Byrne. Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools