ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The at-home COVID-19 testing kits being distributed across Monroe County are expected to help students stay in school with the Test to Stay program.

They're for unvaccinated students exposed to COVID-19, but who show no symptoms. They can take daily rapid tests and can still go to school if the test comes back negative.

Just as the towns in the county are deciding how they will distribute the tests to adults, it will be up to schools to determine how they get tests out to students.

Bo Wright, the president of the Monroe County Council of School Superintendents, says that could be done by giving the tests directly to students, a single point pick-up location for the entire district or each school doing its own distribution to parents.

Right now, Test to Stay is only for students to be able to continue with in-person learning. It doesn't allow an exposed, unvaccinated student to participate in after-school sports and activities.

Wright calls Test to Stay a game changer and gave an example within Rush-Henrietta.

"We tested more than 50 students yesterday with zero positives," Wright said. "So had the process not been in place, those are more than 50 students that wouldn't be able to participate in in-person learning. So it's an important change in the process and even though it's early and many of us are just starting, we're already seeing the fruit of that labor."

The Rochester City School District has not yet started or announced any plan to participate in Test to Stay. 

Rochester Mayor-Elect Malik Evans says he would like the district to figure out a way to do that.

"I would try to find a way to make that happen. There should not be inequity between what suburban schools are doing and the city," said Evans. "I hope they can find a way to make that happen and I m sure the county, as well as the city, would be willing to and work with them to try to come up with some sort of plan."

Evans went on to say that the city of Rochester cannot control the schools, but he hopes to influence the district. He says the city and county are willing to provide any technical resources.

Evans says the district does have extra funding he hopes they will look into using it to participate.