COVID-19 Testing at East: Testing is now available for student’s and staff

For the past month, SMSD has provided free COVID-19 tests for symptomatic staff and students — they can pull up in front of the school where school nurse Stephanie Ptacek puts on protective gear meeting them in the circle drive.

In order to get a test, all that has to be done is a call to the nurse’s office, which is located on the Shawnee Mission East website.

Ptacek hands the student or staff the instructions to their COVID saliva tests, and they spit into tube to then seal up and drop off at the lab in Lenexa, or give to Ptacek to drop off to be mailed to the same lab.

A year ago, Ptacek would have never imagined being in this fearful position.

“It’s crazy,” Ptacek said. “I really have to be careful so I don’t bring it home to my family and I obviously don’t want it myself either.”

Since SMSD elementary schools are in-person, students and staff have the opportunity to come to their high school for tests to help them remain in-person for the year.

Additionally, in the past week for special education students and teachers, surveillance testing has been provided — surveillance testing is voluntary testing that’s accessible once a week due to it being difficult for some students to keep on their masks in certain environments.

Senior EJ Padgett was one of the first 50 people to use the saliva tests from East. As she drove up to the school with her mom, she and her sister prepared.

“It was honestly so odd but cool,” Padgett said. “The nurse just handed us the package with the instructions and gave us details on how much to spit and what to do, then we just had to take it home and send it off.”

Ptacek hopes with more funding from the district, the number of provided tests will increase and help us return to a more normal year as soon as possible.