As of August 17, 2023, the Learn to Return website will no longer be maintained with up-to-date information and resources.

The DOH Testing in Schools website is now your go-to online resource for school testing.

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We want all public, private, and tribal schools to be free of COVID-19 outbreaks and interruptions to school life.

Why test?

School-based testing for COVID-19 helps us stop outbreaks before they start, limit the spread of COVID-19, and keep our schools open and our extracurriculars on schedule. Learn to Return makes testing easy and accessible for the school community.

Our testing is…

 

voluntary

Families opt-in to testing services

Free

Testing is free-of-charge for all participants

Painless

All samples are collected with a shallow nasal swab or with saliva samples

Private

Students’ privacy is paramount

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Types of Testing

There are two main testing methods that we provide:

 

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Diagnostic

Diagnostic testing is used to diagnose individuals when they have COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19.

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Screening

Screening is used to test entire groups of people at the same time, like sports teams or performing arts groups.

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Sample Collection

All tests available through Learn to Return use a shallow nasal swab to collect samples.* This is not the dreaded “brain tickler” or nasopharyngeal swab. The shallow nasal swab enters to gentle resistance, about half-an-inch into each nostril, makes several rotations, and is placed, swab-side down, in the collection tube.

*We also have saliva tests available for individual PCR testing. Participants spit into a test tube to provide a sample that is then transported to a lab and analyzed. Saliva tests may be more accessible for students with special needs, sensory issues, sinus or nasal injuries, or other aversions to an anterior nasal swab.

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A young girl gets tested for COVID-19 via a painless nasal swab

Why keep tests at home?

1

Help reduce COVID-19 spread by testing at home and getting results in just minutes.

2

People who don’t have symptoms can still spread COVID-19, so testing is critical to knowing if you’re infected.

3

To stop the spread of COVID-19, many of us need to get tested regularly – even if we don’t have symptoms. Along with vaccination, wearing a mask, hand washing, and physical distancing, frequent at-home testing protects families and friends, and it’s a great way to help in the fight against COVID-19.

4

Know more, live safer, and get back to the people and things you love sooner.

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News and Resources

What we’re reading

A Simple Rule for Planning Your Fall Booster Shot

The Atlantic – 27 August 2022. Everyone will probably gain something from the updated vaccines. Here’s how to make the most of it.

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