To our Cohoes families,
We have recently been receiving a number of questions from families regarding testing of COVID symptomatic students. While guidelines do change from time to time, we wanted to share with you the most recent guidance from the Albany County Department of Health (ACDOH).
Under the current guidelines from ACDOH, if a student is showing symptoms of COVID-19, they are required to have a negative nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) to return to school. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is a type of NAAT test. ACDOH recommends getting a lab-based NAAT test whenever possible.
To ensure your student receives the correct test, please ensure that it is a PCR or NAAT test. Other tests, such as antigen tests, are not sufficient for students who are showing symptoms to return to school.
We hope that this helps clear up questions our families have had about testing. Please reach out to your building nurse if you have further questions.