Hanover Area to require weekly testing for unvaccinated employees
Sep. 17—HANOVER TWP. — Hanover Area School District will test all non-vaccinated employees weekly for COVID-19 beginning Oct. 1, Superintendent Nathan Barrett confirmed.
"It's a preventive, pro-active measure" to protect students and other staff, he said.
The district opted to get the antigen testing done by a third party provided through the state Department of Health and administered every Wednesday.
If a person tests positive it will fall on the district to determine if they contracted the contagion inside the district or outside. "If they weren't exposed to someone in the classroom who had the virus, we would assume they were exposed outside the district, proving it wasn't a work-related exposure.
Barrett stressed the move was made with unions in the loop. "I have met with every collective bargaining unit and we cooperatively made this decision."
If a person tests positive, the district "will follow department of health guidelines" regarding quarantine or isolation, which can vary depending on symptoms and other factors.
In an unrelated matter, Barrett confirmed that guidance counselor Carla Myers was put on paid administrative leave Tuesday after police arrested her for an alleged stabbing that occurred Saturday. The district website lists Myers as a councilor at Hanover Memorial Elementary School. According to state records she has worked at the district 21 years, and her salary last year was $84,203.
