Suspending Test-to-Stay & Quarantines After Exposure

Starting Monday, March 7, Spartanburg School District 7 is suspending Test-to-Stay and quarantine practices until further notice, in accordance with DHEC guidance. The district meets and will continue to comply with all criteria for suspending Test to Stay, which includes:

• Two consecutive weeks with less than 10 percent of all students and staff having COVID-19.
• When Test to Stay or quarantine has stopped, contact tracing and testing and masking of close contacts without symptoms is no longer required
• Schools will continue to report the number of cases to DHEC on a weekly basis.
• If a school or childcare center that has suspended Test to Stay or quarantine and has two consecutive weeks with 10 percent or more of all students and staff having COVID-19, either Test to Stay or Quarantine will need to be reinstated.
• Isolation requirements for those who have COVID-19 will remain unchanged.

Suspending Test-to-Stay and quarantine practices related to close contact exposures includes the suspension of contact tracing, social distancing, and mask requirements for students and staff after an exposure.

District 7 will continue tracking positive cases at all schools and locations. If a school or location reaches 10% of its students and staff absent due to COVID-19 over two consecutive one-week periods, the District will reinstate contact tracing, Test-to-Stay and quarantine practices at the impacted location(s) as required by DHEC.

Reporting Symptoms and Positive Cases Continues  

Students or staff members who have symptoms* of COVID-19 or test positive for COVID-19 are still required to be excluded from school/work. If a student or staff member has symptoms* or tests positive for COVID-19, they must report the symptoms* and/or test results to their school or work location’s nurse contact for further guidance.

*If your child has any one of the following symptoms, he/she MUST NOT attend school (please inform your school nurse here):

• Temperature of 100.4° Fahrenheit or higher
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (for students with a chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their breathing from baseline)
• Loss of taste or smell
• New or worsening cough (for students with a chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change from baseline)

*If your child has a combination of the following symptoms, he/she MAY BE excluded from school (please consult your school nurse here for guidance):

• Sore throat 
• Muscle or body aches
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Congestion or runny nose
• Diarrhea
• Nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain

1. At-home rapid test (provided by the school or obtained outside of school) – Submit DHEC’s Home Test Result Attestation Form (must be completed by parent/guardian for student cases) along with test result.
   Contact your school contact tracer or nurse to request an at-home rapid test kit if needed (available while supplies last).
   
   
2. Free D7 Testing Center (Mako Medical) – Free PCR testing is available on Mondays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Test results will be sent directly to the email address you provided during preregistration. Submit the test result to the school. Click here for more information.
   
   
3. Test at a non-D7 testing site – Submit the test result to the school.