FNSBSD partners with Beacon for COVID Testing | October 4, 2021
School District Partners with Beacon to Expand Student and Employee Testing
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District is pleased to announce it has contracted with Beacon Occupational Health and Safety to expand COVID-19 testing availability for district students and employees.
Starting Tuesday, October 5, the district will offer three COVID-19 testing sites for all students and employees: West Valley High School, the district Administrative Center, and North Pole High School. Each site will be staffed by two Beacon technicians between the hours of 8am and 5pm.
Beacon has been a leader throughout Alaska related to COVID-19 services, contracting with over 350 companies in Alaska to provide PCR and rapid testing. Beacon has contracted with the State of Alaska to conduct the testing for all travelers entering Alaska from out-of-state at the Fairbanks Airport, as well as managing community testing sites.
The $207,500 CARES-funded contract between the district and BEACON will continue for the next three months. The district will provide the antigen and PCR tests and Beacon will provide the necessary staffing and equipment to run three testing sites. Scheduling of appointments, test result notification, and State reporting will also be managed by Beacon.
“We’re thrilled to begin this partnership with Beacon,” said Interim Superintendent Karen Melin. “This partnership will allow our nurses and principals to focus on their regular full-time jobs and better serve students’ other health and educational needs. At the same time, we will be able to provide more robust, timely, and convenient testing opportunities for district students and staff. Testing remains our best tool for helping keep COVID-19 out of schools and the most students in school learning.”
An appointment is required for a district student or employee to be tested. Appointments will continue to be made at k12northstar.org/COVID or from the button on every school homepage.
Media Inquiries Contact: Yumi McCulloch, yumi.mcculloch@k12northstar.org