ELC SCHOOL REOPENING
COVID-19 SCREENING TESTING

Through the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Disease-Reopening Schools cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Montana Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS) is offering support for schools wanting to participate in COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies to help stop the spread at school. DPHHS is also offering testing support for K-12 schools wanting to continue voluntary on-site testing. The program uses a combination of POC and/or OTC tests provided by a CDC-Sponsored program, test brands may vary.

Updated ELC Guidance was released by the CDC in September of 2022. New guidance removed the requirement for schools to participate in on-site testing. Schools are still encouraged to maintain options for symptomatic and asymptomatic on-site testing but should focus testing efforts on high-risk activities during high COVID-19 community level or in response to an outbreak. New ELC guidance also encourages schools to focus their efforts on COVID-19 mitigation and prevention strategies such as strategies for physical distancing, increased opportunities for handwashing and respiratory etiquette, improving cleaning protocols and maintaining healthy facilities, improving indoor ventilation and air quality, opportunities for contact tracing with combination of isolation and quarantine procedures. See table below for additional details on COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies.

COVID-19 School Prevention and Mitigation Strategies
Mitigation Strategy Common Action Steps
Physical Distancing Common strategies to maximize physical distancing can include: staggering arrivals, lunch times, recess, transitions; utilizing outdoor spaces when possible, and purchase of additional desks and lunch tables.
Handwashing and respiratory etiquette Develop protocols for implementing an increased cleaning and hygiene regimen; and make hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, soap and water, or similar disinfectant readily available to staff/students/visitors in controlled environments to ensure safe use.
Cleaning protocols and maintaining healthy facilities Develop protocols for implementing an increased cleaning and hygiene regimen.
Improving indoor ventilation and air quality Adopt the use of HEPA systems in classrooms and other high traffic areas.
Contact tracing with combination of isolation and quarantine policy Follow up-to-date CDC guidance for positive cases and close contacts and provide referrals to test.

 

Please view the tab below to view Updated Reporting Requirements and grant close out documents.

All ELC funding received by schools must be spent by 06/30/23.  Any remaining funds that have not been spent by 06/30/23 will need to be returned to DPHHS. 

ELC Update in Reporting Requirements

Template-Final Comprehensive Budget Expenditure Report

Sample Final Comprehensive Budget Expenditure Report 

FAQ-Final Reporting for ELC 

Eligible Entities: All K-12 public school districts and private schools.

1st Round (September 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021)
*Funding can be used for expenses incurred during the project period of July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022

School District / Private School Size
(Certified Quality Educators)
Funding
Level
 25FTE or less  $35,000 maximum
 Greater than 25FTE  $45,000 maximum 


2nd Round (January 1, 2022 - January 31, 2022) 
*Funding can be used for expenses incurred during the project period of July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022

School District / Private School Size
(Certified Quality Educators)
Funding
Level
 25FTE or less  $50,000 maximum
 Greater than 25FTE  $100,000 maximum


3rd Round (September 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023) 
*Funding can be used for expenses incurred during the project period of July 1, 2021 - June 20, 2023. 

School District / Private School Size
(Certified Quality Educators)
Funding
Level
 25FTE or less  $50,000 maximum
 Greater than 25FTE  $100,000 maximum

* School seeking funding over the maximum amount indicated above are encouraged to apply for their project needs. Requests for funding over the maximum amount will be reviewed for approval on a case-by-case basis. 

1st Round Application Period
September 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021 (5:00PM)
School districts applying for funding at any time during this application period will be required to submit a budget expenditure report by January 15, 2022 for the initial six month funding period. Funding may be used through June 30, 2022. Additional funding is available beginning January 2022. 

2nd Round Application Period
January 1, 2022 - January 31, 2022 (5:00PM)
School districts applying for funding at any time during this application period will be required to submit a budget expenditure report by July 15, 2022 for the six month project period of January 1, 2022 - June 30, 2022. 

3rd Round Application Period
September 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023 (5:00PM)
School districts applying for funding will be required to submit a budget expenditure report by December 15, 2022 for the project period of August 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022. 

Application Instructions:
School districts or private schools interested in participating in COVID-19 Prevention and Mitigation strategies testing are required to submit an electronic application via the Montana Grants Application Portal. Screening testing is no longer a requirement to receive funding, but schools are highly encouraged to implement or continue testing. If you have not applied for COVID-19 relief funding through the Submittable platform before, you will be asked to create an account, which will only take a minute. Applications must be submitted by the school district on the behalf of individual schools. Upon submission, you will receive an email notification that DPHHS has received your application. Once DPHHS staff have reviewed the application for completeness, you will receive a notice that your application has been approved or requires remediation. If your application requires edits, instructions will be included with a description of the corrective actions needed for approval. 

Successful applicants will receive step by step guidance on how to order testing supplies from DPHHS, how to register under the DPHHS CLIA waiver, training requirements for individuals administering tests, and instructions related to reporting requirements. 

COMPLETE THE APPLICATION HERE!

DPHHS Binax Now Testing Program Guidance

ELC Reopening Schools: Updated Guidance 9/20/2022

General Guidance

Binax Now Testing Guide for Montana Schools
ELC Reopening Schools Info Session #1 (8/17/21)
ELC Reopening Schools Info Session #2 (8/19/21)
- ELC Reopening Schools Info Session #3 (11/5/21)

Program Implementation Resources

Screening Checklist and Consent Forms
BinaxNow Screening Checklist
Example Communications

Budget/Reporting
Each ELC School Reopening Grant recipient must submit 6-month budget expenditure reports to DPHHS. The first report for round 3 funding is due no later than December 15, 2022 for the initial period of August 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022. 

The second report is due no later than July 15, 2023 for the project period of January 1, 203 - June 30, 2023. All grant recipients must submit a budget expenditure report for this project period.

If a recipient has received 1st round and 2nd round funding, the final budget expenditure report for those two rounds must be submitted prior to applying for round 3 funding and must reflect the total spent through both project periods. To apply for round 3 funding, school districts/private schools must have spent 80% of funding from rounds 1 and 2 or show that they have at least 80% of funding spent/allocated for use in the 2022-2023 school year. 
ELC Reopening Schools: Updated Guidance 9/20/2022 
  (
Allowable costs can be found on pages 4 and 5) 

CDC: ELC Reopening Schools Guidance


Other Resources

US Department of Education 
Strategies for Safely Reopening Elementary and Secondary Schools

Rockefeller Foundation
Guidance for Using Covid-19 Testing Strategies to Reopen America’s Schools Safely
Start-Up Guide for Covid-19 Testing in Schools
Family FAQs About Testing

US Food and Drug Administration
Coronavirus Disease 2019 Testing Basics

American Academy of Pediatrics
COVID-19 Testing Guidance

Need More Information?

 ARPA Contact Center: 844-406-ARPA (2772)

Email the ARPA Contact Center at arpa.mt.gov

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