Dr. Kevin Whitaker, Jamestown Public Schools superintendent, is pictured Tuesday evening during a school board meeting. P-J photo by Katrina Fuller

The Jamestown Public Schools District will be distributing COVID-19 tests this week before the midwinter break that could have an impact on the statewide masking policy in schools.

Superintendent Kevin Whitaker updated members of the school board Tuesday, sharing that tests will be going out this week to students.

“The governor has said she is going to rely on some metrics to make a determination at some point in early March about what the regulations around masks in schools would be,” Whitaker said. “As part of that, she asked schools to distribute test kits to parents prior to the February break which is coming up next week.”

Whitaker said the district may be reporting negative tests to contribute data that will be used to determine the best course for masking in schools.

“This is an opportunity for us because the governor has asked parents to test before they return or on the date of return and later in that week,” he said. “So if we have a lot of negative tests, then maybe that helps us with the mask decision that comes from there.”

After the meeting, Whitaker said parents of secondary school students can expect to see COVID-19 test kits coming home with their students, while elementary school parents can call their schools to arrange to pick them up, pick them up at drop off or choose to have the test sent home with their students. The schools will then compile the data from the reported results.

Whitaker said COVID-19 testing is not mandatory for students.

The superintendent also said the past few months of the pandemic have been “a bit of a roller coaster” for school districts.

“At this point, we just kind of go with the flow and do our best to understand regulations and requests, try not to burden our parents our teachers, and our kids and comply as best we can with the orders that were given,” he said.