Exploring School Staff's Perceptions About Implementing Saliva-Based Testing

To investigate the feasibility of conducting COVID-19 testing in kindergarten-grade 12 schools, saliva-based testing was implemented in five schools. The purpose of this study was to understand staff's perspectives of the barriers and facilitators to conducting saliva-based testing in their settings.

Thirty-three school staff who worked in five target schools were interviewed in the summer of 2021. Participants were recruited from June-August 2021 via a flyer that was distributed through email and school-affiliated social media and websites, and word-of-mouth. Semi-structured interviews were conducted over Zoom by a trained interviewer; interviews were audio recorded and auto transcribed using this Zoom feature. Constant comparative analysis and emergent coding were used to analyze the data.

The majority of participants had positive experiences with conducting saliva-based testing during school hours. Participants reported that saliva-based testing did not interrupt their school routine because (1) the testing was simple and quick, (2) the testing schedule was consistent and organized, and (3) school staff maintained open lines of communication. Barriers to implementing the testing were as follows: (1) obtaining parental consent, (2) not being allowed to drink or eat an hour before testing, and (3) struggling to provide enough saliva for testing. Participants suggested the following strategies to facilitate testing in schools: being more proactive, giving families fewer things to sign (i.e., consent forms), improving communication, adding needed consents to the school registration process, using social media, and increasing community outreach.

As schools weigh the benefits and the risks of closing for extended periods of time versus remaining open for in-person learning, saliva-based testing is a feasible and efficient way to support programs in this decision-making process. This approach can be used in future pandemics and in areas with outbreaks or poor vaccine coverage.