Dear Southwest ISD families,
We are fortunate to announce two groundbreaking opportunities that will enhance our current safety measures against the spread of COVID-19. As an additional layer of protection, Southwest ISD is partnering with Community Labs and Curative to provide free testing to our community.
The first initiative involves Community Labs. As part of the ASPIRE network, Southwest ISD will receive free, weekly, opt-in testing for students and staff for the following department and campuses:
Monday, November 2 - CAST STEM HS
Monday, November 9 - Kriewald ES & SW Legacy HS
Monday, November 16 - Transportation Department
I want to emphasize that this is to identify asymptomatic carriers of the virus. We hope by testing weekly and receiving results in 24 hours, those COVID positive cases can be quarantined and reduce the chances for the virus to spread. Students and staff are to continue to self-screen and remain home if experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. As Community Labs expands its services, we eventually plan to implement this to all campuses and departments across the district. KRE, SWLHS, and Transportation will receive more information on this voluntary service in the coming days.
The second opportunity is unique to our district and open to our entire community. Curative will provide free, non-invasive saliva testing over the course of several weekends in November and December. This drive-thru site will test community members with an oral swab, providing results through text or email. We are still confirming logistics and once finalized, will inform our community of this opportunity through all of our communication channels. We encourage all of our families and staff to participate in these free, state-of-the-art testing opportunities. For up to date information, make sure to frequently visit our website www.swisd.net. We will also post details on all of our communication channels once finalized.
Also, I want to remind our students and families to stay engaged with us. There are several exciting opportunities and programs within our district to help us push through the barriers set by this pandemic. I am encouraged by the progress we continue to make in this hybrid environment. Please take the time to read through our e-newsletter to learn more at www.swisd.net.
Thanks for being part of our family. We ARE SW!
Dr. Lloyd Verstuyft
Superintendent of Schools
