Renaissance Academy to Offer Onsite COVID Testing

Phoenixville PA

04 February, 2021

2:02 PM

Description

Phoenixville, PA -- The Renaissance Academy Charter School is taking the health and safety of their onsite students and staff to the next level. Beginning next week, the school will offer a voluntary COVID-19 Testing Program to all persons who operate in onsite learning. As part of a joint safety effort led by local health departments along with the support of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Renaissance Academy will be among the first public school districts in Pennsylvania to take part in a large-scale rapid COVID-19 testing program referred to as "Project ACE-IT" (Assisting Childhood Education through Increased Testing). The program at Renaissance Academy will use Abbott Laboratories' BinaxNOW Ag Card COVID-19 test, which is a rapid, point of care test that provides results to parents or staff members in approximately 15 minutes. Renaissance will be doing weekly testing for onsite staff members and as needed testing for onsite students who are symptomatic or considered a close contact while in school. The coordination and implementation of the program at Renaissance Academy came via their Certified School Nurse, Grace Cavanagh. "I became aware of the new Project ACE-IT program through my affiliations with the Chester County School Nurse Association. As soon as I heard about it, I immediately signed myself and our two part-time nurses up for training. Once we completed training and our School Board approved our involvement we promptly moved forward with the process to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff. I believe this program, in addition to our mitigation efforts, will have a positive impact on our community." This COVID-19 testing is being offered in addition to the school's existing COVID-19 health and safety migration measures. While this program is optional, the goal of this weekly testing is to identify individuals who may be infectious, as early as possible, to further safeguard the health of the Renaissance community and the counties in which the students and staff reside. Renaissance Academy CEO, Dr. Gina Guarino Buli, is pleased to support and participate in this program. "I was truly impressed with our school nurses and their eagerness to participate in this program. I am proud that we are able to offer this to our staff, families and take a part in keeping our community safe." Established in 1999, Renaissance Academy is a fully-accredited, K-12, award-winning, tuition-free, college prep charter school located in Phoenixville, PA. Renaissance Academy was named one of US News & World Report's 2020 Best High Schools in America. More information on the school can be found at www.rak12.org.