ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) — The process to get Colorado students back in class is underway.
Before vaccinations start next week, the state wants to make sure teachers know their COVID-19 status.
Colorado is one of only a handful of states providing free at-home testing for educators. Teachers across the state are expecting a delivery of Abbott BinaxNOW testing kits from the state but one group along the Front Range got that package hand delivered from the governor himself.
“We’re one of just three states to have acquired millions of at-home COVID tests. We’re supplying to every educator in the state and support folks in our schools,” Governor Jared Polis said. “So every five days they can test right at home very easily and make sure our schools are safe, educators are safe, and it was really exciting for me to deliver the first right here in Arvada.”
For Adams County science teacher Emily Hogan and school social worker Dawn Kazeck, the testing comes at the perfect time.
“We’re excited not just for ourselves, but for our friends and family to have testing just that much more accessible and easy so we’ll keep moving forward in this pandemic and getting through it. So I’m really excited for this next step,” Hogan said.
With a rollercoaster year of being in and out of the classroom, the educators hope this chapter of the pandemic brings some much needed certainty back into their lives.
“The undertone has really just been we want to be safe. Right? We love our jobs. We love supporting kids and we really want to do that still and be safe while we’re doing that. So there’s been that kind of stressful spot too,” Kazeck said.
Most teachers should expect to get that package by the end of this week. The state’s goal is to continue to provide the tests until the end of the school year for all districts that opt into the program.
Polis said most school districts have opted in. The state has purchased 2 million kits for the first month.
The tests use Abbott’s app to help get results verified in minutes. According to the FDA, the tests are highly accurate but can be subject to false positives in areas with low infection rates.