Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon Catholic students given COVID-19 take-home test kits

The Catholic school board has made COVID-19 take-home test kits available to its more than 76,000 students in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.

Following the direction of Ontario’s Ministry of Education, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board officials say they’ve given parents and guardians of 45,000 elementary school students and 31,500 high school pupils the option to use the test kits over the holiday season.

Last day of classes for students is this Friday, and they’ll be returning to school in early January.

School board officials stressed that taking home the Rapid Antigen Test Kits is voluntary, and any parents/guardians who did not want to participate were to let their school know by yesterday.

“These test kits are part of a concerted effort with local public health units to promote a safer return to the classroom after the break,” Dufferin-Peel officials said in a bulletin to parents and the school community.

📢The Ministry of Education has instructed publicly funded school boards, including DPCDSB, to provide parents/guardians of every student with take-home Rapid Antigen Test Kits for use over the Christmas Break.

Read the Community Information Bulletin:
➡https://t.co/9FzEbMN8uZ pic.twitter.com/womsWSsbtJ

— Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (@DPCDSBSchools) December 10, 2021

The test kits “are intended for use by any child that participates in in-person learning only, regardless of their vaccination status,” officials continued, noting the test option is not available to pupils who’ve been learning remotely since September.

The school board also stressed that the take-home tests are to be used only by students and not parents/guardians or other members of the household who aren’t Dufferin-Peel students.

Speaking yesterday at a City of Mississauga press conference updating the local COVID-19 situation, Mayor Bonnie Crombie urged parents to allow their children to bring the test kits home from school.

“I encourage you to use these test kits before you visit family or friends to give you peace of mind for a safe holiday season,” said Crombie.

School board officials say students who take home the test kits will not be asked their vaccination status nor will they be required to use the kits as a condition to return to the classroom in January.

In lieu of students bringing test kits home, parents also had the option of picking up the kits themselves at the school.