New Jersey
Note: Recipient-submitted material; content authored by recipient, not ELC
Information current as of October 6, 2021
To learn more about New Jersey’s school testing plans, contact their school-based screening testing program.
Management structure for school screening
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) selected multiple screening testing vendors to provide turn-key testing services (inclusive of testing resources and operational support). NJDOH also offered grant funding to schools who already had testing programs in place if they met the guidelines issued by the Communicable Disease Service (CDS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Support provided to school districts
NJDOH offered two options to support screening testing in K-12 schools:
- Turn-key testing support through NJDOH-contracted vendors
- Funding to support screening testing programs or plans already in place/progress
School districts/schools must opt in to participate in the statewide program. For either option, testing must follow the screening testing guidelines set forth by the NJDOH Communicable Disease Service, informed by the regional COVID-19 Activity Level Index (CALI) score.
To support school districts not covered under a State program, the NJDOH has developed an expedited Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) Waiver application and approval process. This will allow for the immediate receipt, review, and approval of CLIA Waiver requests.