South Huntington SD offers free COVID-19 testing for students, staff, family members

There's a new focus on COVID-19 testing in Huntington Station schools, a community hit hard by the pandemic.
Schools across Long Island have been struggling for months with the question as to whether it is safe for their students to be in the classroom versus virtual learning.
Districts across the Island have come up with different ways to answer that question. The South Huntington school district says it decided following the Christmas break it would be virtual this week.
During the week, the student population, staff and family members can be tested for free on a voluntary basis.
The school superintendent hopes to take all the data from the testing and make a decision with the school board and the teachers union as to how they should move forward and safely educate their students.
Testing was done at the high school and junior high school. For the rest of the week, testing will be offered after school hours at the elementary schools in the district.
Senior John Rodriguez says he hopes the testing will keep him in the classroom with his classmates.
"Personally I look forward to my in-person days," said Rodriguez. "I look forward to be even 6 feet away from my friends."
The South Huntington school district says students and staff who test positive must quarantine for 10 days. The testing was paid for by money saved when buses were not being used.