PITTSFIELD â The Pittsfield public schools have been accepted into a free COVID-19 testing initiative, as talks continue over what form of testing the countyâs largest school system will follow, the interim superintendent said Monday.
Entry into the stateâs âpoolâ testing initiative was requested by the United Educators of Pittsfield during at-times contentious reopening talks with the district, while school leaders had said they planned to implement an alternative COVID-19 testing plan using CARES Act money.
Pool testing hunts for signs of the coronavirus in batches of swabs from multiple people. If a âpoolâ returns positive, the district then would test each member of the group with an Abbott BinaxNOW rapid test, which returns results in 15 minutes. The process conserves tests by pooling specimens and only following up with positive groups.