Rapid COVID-19 testing for consenting Longview ISD staff members could begin as early as next week after the district was named part of a state pilot program, a district spokesman said Friday.

Students at all campuses, with parental permission, also eventually will be screened.

On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott’s announced a program between his office, the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Division of Emergency Management that will provide virus testing to eight districts across the state.

According to a statement from the governor’s office, the program will help schools conduct rapid tests of district employees and students to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campuses.

The Division of Emergency Management will provide the districts with the rapid antigen tests to administer to those who choose to participate. The district also will receive necessary personal protective equipment to administer the tests, which produce results in 15 minutes.

“The first thing that will need to be done is the proper training, followed by setting a plan for the testing and getting the equipment, which would be provided to us,” said district spokesman Francisco Rojas. “Longview ISD nurses, assistant nurses and other relevant staff will be administering the tests.”

He said the goal is to have testing available Monday through Friday, but the district has not been informed how long the screenings will continue as part of the state program.

For parental consent, Rojas said forms will be filled out and signed by parents or guardians per student, not family, for every time a student gets tested.

“If a parent at first doesn’t want their child to be tested but changes their mind, they will need to fill out a new form,” he said.

If a student or staff member tests positive, he or she will be sent home and will need to quarantine, Rojas said. That person then will be allowed back on campus with a doctor’s note or other type of documentation from an authorized testing location stating a new COVID-19 test was negative.

Students and staff may return to a campus after at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, Rojas said.

When Longview ISD first started discussing districtwide COVID-19 testing, it was in partnership with the company US MedTest. It was still unclear Friday what taking part in the state program means for that partnership.

The district began a two-week trial run of virus testing Oct. 7 at Longview High School with US MedTest.

Board President Ginia Northcutt declined to comment on the state program Wednesday, saying it had not been presented to trustees.

When asked about why the state program was not presented to the Longview ISD board, Rojas said, “The district administration has remained in dialogue with the board about testing for some time now. As information is received, it is shared with the board as well as the public.”