CLEVELAND, Ohio — In a move hoped to reduce anxiety about COVID-19 transmission as kids head back to school, Gov. Mike DeWine this week announced a plan to make rapid testing available in K-12 public and private schools.

More than 200,000 15-minute Abbott BinaxNOW Home Tests are being sent to educational service centers across the state, the Ohio Department of Education said in a bulletin to the schools.

Akron Public Schools spokesman Mark Williamson said the Akron district will work with the Cuyahoga County Educational Service Center on test distribution.

The BinaxNOW tests come with instructions that link school officials via a video call with telehealth professionals at eMed, which is required.

The eMed health professionals will be responsible for overseeing test administration and results reporting, and prescription writing if needed, the state said. 

The tests are recommended to be used for anyone in the school who’s symptomatic. Schools also are instructed to work with their local health departments to come up the best testing strategies, based on the school’s location.

The tests are an added layer of security on top of teacher and staff vaccinations, combined with hand washing, mask-wearing and social distancing, DeWine said in the statement.

“It was important to get these tests in the hands of school leaders because we know how important it is for students to be able to continue learning in their classrooms,” DeWine said.

As further justification for opening schools, DeWine has also pointed to the low transmission rate of COVID-19 in schools.

The state will work with the educational service centers to distribute the tests, which received FDA emergency use authorization. Each school district will decide whether the tests will be used and if so, how to use them, the state said.

Districts will be required to designate one or more staff members to keep track of the number of tests used and report weekly to the state through an online portal.