CCSD21 Parent Informed Consent for SHIELD Illinois Rapid rtPCR Test

March 5, 2021

Topic: Student Learning

The following message was sent to CCSD21 families of IN-PERSON STUDENTS only through ParentSquare, the district’s notification tool. Parents of in-person students should log in to ParentSquare to complete the consent form for each child. Parents who did not receive this message should contact their school’s main office to ensure their contact information is up to date.

As School District 21 expands to full days of in-person instruction, we will add extra mitigation efforts to protect our students and staff, including weekly COVID-19 testing.

Testing will be administered to all in-person students beginning Tuesday, March 16. This is a non-invasive saliva test and there is no cost to families for testing.

CCSD21 has partnered with SHIELD Illinois (University of Illinois) to administer the saliva PCR tests. Results will be available to School District 21 within 24 hours of testing and will be shared with the student’s parent/guardian by email shortly thereafter. More information about SHIELD Illinois testing is available here:

Additionally, a virtual parent information night about SHIELD testing will be held Monday, March 8, at 7:00 PM. The evening will begin with a livestream replay of the Deerfield 109 SHIELD Testing Town Hall (linked above). Individuals who are interested in joining the parent night but would prefer to watch the Deerfield 109 Town Hall on their own time can instead join the CCSD21 Zoom at approximately 7:50 PM. Individuals can submit questions about SHIELD testing at any time during the parent night through Zoom’s Q&A feature.

The implementation of a comprehensive testing program is an important part of our effort to increase the amount of in-person learning time. For this reason, testing for in-person students will be considered mandatory unless there is a specific and valid reason that a child should be exempted. Any parent or guardian seeking an exemption to mandatory testing should contact their school principal.

Please complete the consent form below in order for your child to participate in this critical mitigation effort. If you have specific concerns about your child’s ability to participate in the weekly testing, or are having difficulty completing the form, please contact your child’s school.

The deadline to complete the COVID-19 Testing Consent Form is 11:59 PM on Friday, March 12.

Families of in-person students must log in to ParentSquare to complete one consent form for each student. Text of the consent form can be found here.