MCPS Hosting ‘Say Yes to the Test’ Event Saturday

Montgomery County Public Schools will host a “Say Yes to the Test” event on Saturday, Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a Sept. 29 bulletin.

The “Say Yes to the Test” campaign implores parents of MCPS students to consent to in-school COVID-19 testing. Currently, MCPS schools offer two kinds of testing in conjunction with the Maryland Health Dept. Screening testing entails administering PCR tests to random asymptomatic individuals, while rapid testing is performed in the event that a student presents to a health room with potential COVID-19 symptoms. Both tests are free to students.

Saturday’s event will be held in the parking lot of Paint Branch High School. It will feature free COVID-19 vaccinations, information about testing in schools and assistance in filling out consent forms. In addition, attendees can expect food and giveaways.

Community organizations expected to take part in “Say Yes to the Test” Day include Kingdom Fellowship AME Church, Holy Cross Hospital, the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center and the Conflict Resolution Center. School system and county departments such as Montgomery County Libraries, the Montgomery County Board of Elections and the Montgomery County Police Department will be available to provide resources to families.

Parents can submit a COVID-19 testing consent form online or in-person at their child’s school. The form is available in multiple languages. Parents need not fill out separate forms for each test. Those who consent to the screening testing program automatically opt-in to rapid testing.

“MCPS believes that providing COVID-19 rapid testing in all schools will help minimize student quarantines,” the Sept. 29 bulletin said. “Testing helps keep schools open and students and staff safe.”

MCPS is working with several community organizations to host a Say Yes to the Test Day information fair and event at Paint Branch High School from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9. More information: https://t.co/jYX8qzQKtO

— MCPS (@MCPS) October 3, 2021

About Ceoli Jacoby

Ceoli Jacoby is an editorial intern at Montgomery Community Media. A junior at the University of Maryland, she is pursuing a double major in multiplatform journalism and government & politics. On campus, she is a staff writer for Stories Beneath the Shell. She can be reached at cjacoby@mymcmedia.org.

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