How much have you spend for same day COVID testing bc of your private school's COVID rules?

[Anonymous]

4 kids in 2 schools. I have easily spent $2000 at Sameday testing. If one is exposed, all have to be tested if I don’t want them sitting at home for 5 days (no remote option anymore).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've paid nothing for tests. Two teens (DCPS). School tests regularly. Kids have been symptom free. We have a reserve of about ten rapid tests at home gleaned from the public library, CDC free tests, school giveaways, etc.

Oh please. DCPS testing has been a joke. 1/10 students get tested, and parents can opt out. This is NOTHING like what is going on at Big-3 schools, with weekly mandatory PCR testing for 100% of faculty, student, and staff. And contract tracing in DCPS is virtually non-existent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have 3 kids in private (preschool and Big 3) abs never paid for testing. We did Curative or Sameday when needed to test. Tests were always back the same day (except during Christmas time). Kids never missed a day of school because test was late.

Curative and Same Day both charge for testing. Do you mean that your insurance covered these tests?

In MoCo, I've never paid once for Curative and I've used it many times. I did provide my insurance.

This is the County site, run by Curative:
https://book.curative.com/sites/27786#9/39.1744/-77.3046

OK, first of all this is in Boyds, MD, which is a haul from the Big-3 schools. No one is driving out there and back. And second, this is not the 1-2 hour rapid testing. This is 1-2 day results. Sure, you may get your results sooner, but you could wait for up to 48 hours to see if your kid can return to school.

[Anonymous]

Nothing. Kids gets tested at school for free.

[Anonymous]

Kids get tested weekly at school, free.
Kids have had symptoms that kept them home from school, which appeared after the testing that week. Needed to take them to sameday for testing a few times but I didn't choose the expedited one, so it's fully covered by insurance. Test results are available within 24 hours even if you don't pay for rush service.
The need for testing was because kids had symptoms and they need to be 24-hours free of fever or vomiting anyway to return to school. So you have test results by the time the kid is ready to return to school. Don't send your sick kid to school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. Kids gets tested at school for free.

Even if they're symptomatic?

[Anonymous]

For the prior poster wondering why children needed testing--at GDS a child with any symptom that might possibly be linked to covid (which is almost any symptom of any common communicable disease or even allergies) is required to have a negative pcr in order to return to school, even if they are vaccinated and the symptoms are mild. This is on top of the weekly testing and the testing required to come back to school after breaks. It is frustrating and excessive. You would think that such a woke school would realize the burden having kids home for extra days places on lower income families who can't afford full time nannies, and working women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids get tested weekly at school, free.
Kids have had symptoms that kept them home from school, which appeared after the testing that week. Needed to take them to sameday for testing a few times but I didn't choose the expedited one, so it's fully covered by insurance. Test results are available within 24 hours even if you don't pay for rush service.
The need for testing was because kids had symptoms and they need to be 24-hours free of fever or vomiting anyway to return to school. So you have test results by the time the kid is ready to return to school. Don't send your sick kid to school!

Yes but PPs are paying for one hour so they can do the test first thing in AM and then deliver kid to school same day rather than waiting 24 hrs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the prior poster wondering why children needed testing--at GDS a child with any symptom that might possibly be linked to covid (which is almost any symptom of any common communicable disease or even allergies) is required to have a negative pcr in order to return to school, even if they are vaccinated and the symptoms are mild. This is on top of the weekly testing and the testing required to come back to school after breaks. It is frustrating and excessive. You would think that such a woke school would realize the burden having kids home for extra days places on lower income families who can't afford full time nannies, and working women.

How many low income families are we talking about at GDS where tuition is $50k?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think I've spent close to $1500 out of pocket for same day PCR COVID testing so that my children wouldn't have to miss more school days than necessary. Friends report similar or more, especially if they have multiple kids at the school. (This is a Big-3 with very strict COVID protocols.)
Although we can afford it, I am wondering if schools have taken into account the cost of this testing, and how it disproportionately affects lower income families. If you can't afford to spend $250/test so that your kid can go to school the next day, that means that 1) your kid has to stay home until the free testing results arrive (e.g., the PCR test kits available at the DC public libraries); 2) parents might have to miss work (if they can't work remotely).
Our school seems to have stuck its head in the sand with regard to these costs and its disproportionate impact on lower income families.

Shop around more. Tons of $25 rapid antigen tests or free 3-5 day PCR tests. Or the at home kits

There’s been 2+ years of taxpayer funded emergency testing, therapy, and treatment to the tune of billions.
Stop getting tested at places for business or leisure travelers needed a PCR result to travel in 24 or 48 or 72 hours. Those you pay up for plus they get the full fed subsidy.

All these pop up clinics will go away soon once they stop making 95% margins on a simple test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the prior poster wondering why children needed testing--at GDS a child with any symptom that might possibly be linked to covid (which is almost any symptom of any common communicable disease or even allergies) is required to have a negative pcr in order to return to school, even if they are vaccinated and the symptoms are mild. This is on top of the weekly testing and the testing required to come back to school after breaks. It is frustrating and excessive. You would think that such a woke school would realize the burden having kids home for extra days places on lower income families who can't afford full time nannies, and working women.

Spring break was an at home test kid they supplied. Wasn’t a burden at all, they even mixed the solution into the vial for you.
Or you could get for $12 reimbursement at cvs.

That said, waiting for DC schools to end the weekly nose swab testing. Other private and public schools have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Zero. DD still wears her mask in all public situations so she hasn't had any sort of symptoms or non-Covid illnesses that would warrant testing. Even though masks aren't required anymore, she reported that all of her friends are still wearing them. Maybe that would help others reduce any sorts of ailments that trigger testing?

What grade is your daughter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have 3 kids in private (preschool and Big 3) abs never paid for testing. We did Curative or Sameday when needed to test. Tests were always back the same day (except during Christmas time). Kids never missed a day of school because test was late.

Curative and Same Day both charge for testing. Do you mean that your insurance covered these tests?

In MoCo, I've never paid once for Curative and I've used it many times. I did provide my insurance.

This is the County site, run by Curative:
https://book.curative.com/sites/27786#9/39.1744/-77.3046

OK, first of all this is in Boyds, MD, which is a haul from the Big-3 schools. No one is driving out there and back. And second, this is not the 1-2 hour rapid testing. This is 1-2 day results. Sure, you may get your results sooner, but you could wait for up to 48 hours to see if your kid can return to school.

But there are curative locations in VA that are just over the bridges. They say 1-2 days, but except when things were crazy in Dec and Jan, you reliably get the results overnight. It's free. If you are spending money out of pocket, you are doing it for your own convenience of a closer site or 1 hour turn around. It is absolutely possible to get a free PCR after school and have the results by morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I've spent close to $1500 out of pocket for same day PCR COVID testing so that my children wouldn't have to miss more school days than necessary. Friends report similar or more, especially if they have multiple kids at the school. (This is a Big-3 with very strict COVID protocols.)
Although we can afford it, I am wondering if schools have taken into account the cost of this testing, and how it disproportionately affects lower income families. If you can't afford to spend $250/test so that your kid can go to school the next day, that means that 1) your kid has to stay home until the free testing results arrive (e.g., the PCR test kits available at the DC public libraries); 2) parents might have to miss work (if they can't work remotely).
Our school seems to have stuck its head in the sand with regard to these costs and its disproportionate impact on lower income families.

Shop around more. Tons of $25 rapid antigen tests or free 3-5 day PCR tests. Or the at home kits

There’s been 2+ years of taxpayer funded emergency testing, therapy, and treatment to the tune of billions.
Stop getting tested at places for business or leisure travelers needed a PCR result to travel in 24 or 48 or 72 hours. Those you pay up for plus they get the full fed subsidy.

All these pop up clinics will go away soon once they stop making 95% margins on a simple test.

You miss the point. No one wants to wait 48 or 72 hours for the PCR result. The only reliable same-day PCR results (i.e., within 2-4 hours) you need to pay ~$150+ for. Sure, you could gamble and take a cheaper or free test and hope that the results come in quickly, but who wants to take that gamble if you can afford to take the hit. It would be great if schools accepted rapid tests, but they don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have 3 kids in private (preschool and Big 3) abs never paid for testing. We did Curative or Sameday when needed to test. Tests were always back the same day (except during Christmas time). Kids never missed a day of school because test was late.

Curative and Same Day both charge for testing. Do you mean that your insurance covered these tests?

In MoCo, I've never paid once for Curative and I've used it many times. I did provide my insurance.

This is the County site, run by Curative:
https://book.curative.com/sites/27786#9/39.1744/-77.3046

OK, first of all this is in Boyds, MD, which is a haul from the Big-3 schools. No one is driving out there and back. And second, this is not the 1-2 hour rapid testing. This is 1-2 day results. Sure, you may get your results sooner, but you could wait for up to 48 hours to see if your kid can return to school.

But there are curative locations in VA that are just over the bridges. They say 1-2 days, but except when things were crazy in Dec and Jan, you reliably get the results overnight. It's free. If you are spending money out of pocket, you are doing it for your own convenience of a closer site or 1 hour turn around. It is absolutely possible to get a free PCR after school and have the results by morning.

We are in DC and it takes 3-4 days for the free PCR test.