Testing

One of the newest additions to the COVID-19 safety measures has been the pooled testing program, which was developed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary School Education (DESE) and adapted for Brookline. According to Mason, this has proven to be a great strategy during a time like now, when the community case count in Brookline is low. The low positive test rate of these tests has also allowed increased confidence in protocols.

“{Pooled testing} lets Brookline say, ‘look at the things that we’ve done. We’re proving that they work,’” Swamy said. “It really ensures that the measures we’re already using are safe over and over again.”

The timing of the implementation of this pooled testing program is crucial to maintaining a sense of safety during four day in-person learning.

“Pooled testing is well-timed in the sense that it’s going to give us a few weeks of baseline data as we continue to move forward into more in-person schooling, and then will allow us to keep monitoring the situation to make sure nothing noticeably changes once we do move towards more in-person learning,” Gacioch said.

Although this program has given the town and school important data, work is being done to improve the program and make it more accurate and convenient. Due to the nature of pooled testing, there is always the possibility that you will have to take a second test if someone in your pool tests positive. Oftentimes, this hassle draws people away from participating in pooled testing, even though it is free of charge. According to Swamy, one of the goals set has been to make the pools smaller, in the hopes of improving accuracy and increasing participation.

Mason said that staff use of this program has been significantly higher than student use, and as more students begin to come to school fully in-person, the school is aiming to better promote and publicize the program for students’ own safety.

Mason also said that pooled testing could potentially be useful in stopping the spread of a quick spreading variant.

“Let’s say one of the variants comes and starts going through the town, the quickest way we would learn about that is through pool testing. Pooled testing would give us a really quick handle of ‘Oh, look, here’s this group of 10 students, and now we need to test each one of those, and then we’ll know is it just one kid?’” Mason said.

Due to the strong efficacy of this program, the BSC has committed to extending this program through at least May 7.