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As the Board approved at the August 2 Special Meeting, for students who are unvaccinated, SHIELD testing will be required as a condition to participate in extracurricular activities and athletics. Instructions to complete the form are on the Parent/Guardian Consent Form Instructions tab on the left. 

Only one parent/guardian needs to submit a consent form. Once submitted the screen will say "Pending" until the form is processed. 

Vaccinated students and staff may opt to participate in SHIELD testing on a voluntary basis. 

SHIELD Testing Days, Times and Locations
Students participating in the SHIELD testing program do not need to schedule an appointment. All tests will be administered on a walk-in basis and take approximately 5-10 minutes. Students can be tested based on the schedules below.

Voluntary SHIELD Testing for all Students
Beginning August 16, SHIELD testing will be made available to all students on a voluntary basis. In order to participate in the voluntary testing program, students will need to have a consent form on file for the 2021-22 school year.

Testing for students who had lab-confirmed COVID-19 in the past 90 days is not recommended. Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 should not test for 90 days from symptom onset or the date of the positive test. Testing can resume once the 90-day testing exemption has expired.

SHIELD Testing for Fully Vaccinated Students
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) interim public health recommendations for fully vaccinated people that was released on July 27 and fully adopted by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), fully vaccinated individuals should get tested for COVID-19 3-5 days following a known exposure.

SHIELD Illinois

SHIELD Illinois is a COVID-19 testing program that deploys the University of Illinois’ saliva test. Unlike other saliva-based COVID-19 tests, the SHIELD test follows the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) process as governed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meaning they meet federal standards for accuracy and reliability. Below is additional information about SHIELD Illinois’ COVID-19 test.

• The SHIELD test is able to identify pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, as well as new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19.
• The SHIELD test has a high degree of accuracy and sensitivity, which allows for earlier virus detection.
• The SHIELD test is a PCR-based screening test, meaning individuals who test positive do not need to seek out a second test to confirm the result.
• The SHIELD test is self-administered and non-invasive.
• SHIELD tests are free and will be administered at no cost to students.