COLCHESTER — By 7 a.m. Thursday, dozens of parents from across the region were lined up in cars at Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester, some of the first to pick up the at-home rapid Covid-19 tests available this week for students across the state.
Tests were set to be distributed at 51 locations on Thursday, with parents and caregivers encouraged, but not required, to use them before children return to school next week.
“The idea is in a good place,” said Natalie Bradford, who has a child in Colchester Public Schools, speaking about at-home testing. “We’ll see if it actually works.”
Parents picking up tests at Fort Ethan Allen Thursday morning said they were glad that tests were available, and they largely felt the process to register for a pickup slot online was easy. Some, though, said they wished more locations were available.
“We were surprised there wasn’t (Burlington) availability or somewhere closer,” said Blake McKnight, who has a pre-kindergarten student in South Burlington schools.
Several thousand people were registered to pick up tests at Fort Ethan Allen on Thursday morning, said David Blackmore, a district administrator with the state Agency of Transportation who was helping to distribute tests.
He said state officials were expecting sites around population centers including Colchester, St. Albans, Rutland and White River Junction to be busy.
Cars moved fairly quickly through the distribution site Thursday morning. To pick up their kits — which each include two rapid antigen tests — parents had to register via an online portal and provide the names of their children and the school they attend.
The state plans to distribute 87,000 total tests — two for every student in the state.
Tests also are available Friday.
“You’ve probably heard some of those people only asking for one (test kit),” Blackmore said, gesturing at the cars nearby. “They’re being pretty honest.”
Thursday’s test distribution comes as state officials have announced plans in early 2022 to begin having parents, rather than school staff, be responsible for testing their children if they have been identified as a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case.
Officials plan to continue recommending “test-to-stay” procedures, where contact tracers identify close contacts after a case of Covid-19 at school.
Parents at Fort Ethan Allen on Thursday said they generally felt that even though having students who are close contacts stay home could be difficult, schools were doing the best they could amid many layers of guidance at the local, state and federal levels.
McKnight said his son had to stay home from school two weeks ago because of a Covid-19 case in his class where the teacher was a close contact. His son tested negative, but the school did not have enough staff to keep the classroom open.
His wife had to miss work while their son was home, McKnight said, and while the situation was challenging, he feels that the school handled it well.
“We’re very happy that test-to-stay is an option,” McKnight said.
Greg Alling, who has three children in the Essex-Westford School District, said his family has come to accept the unpredictability of the pandemic, especially in schools, as the new standard. He said having a child identified as a close contact requires “rearranging your life,” but it’s worth it to try and keep everyone involved safe.
Thursday’s test distribution was more efficient than the last time Alling came to Fort Ethan Allen to pick up tests, he said, when cars were backed up for more than a mile.
“For the most part, I feel safe when my kids go in there,” Alling said of the schools.
Deirdre O’Reilly, whose son goes to school in Shelburne, said she also was able to pick up tests Thursday morning for her babysitter’s two kids. Local and state officials have been helpful in getting information out throughout the pandemic, she said.
“I feel like the school system and the state have done a really good job communicating with parents,” O’Reilly said.
Bradford, whose child goes to school in Colchester, said even with tests distributed to families at home, she worries about her children getting sick. Her family has not had Covid-19 yet, she said, but sometimes it can feel as if “we’re waiting our turn.”
“Despite all our good efforts to do the right thing …” Bradford said, trailing off. “I don’t know.”
