Governor Greg Abbott, TEA, and TDEM announced the creation of a COVID-19 Rapid Testing Pilot Program for Texas school systems. The launch of the pilot program will include eight school systems with plans to take the program statewide. The program will help schools conduct rapid tests of district employees and students, with the written permission of their parents, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campuses. TDEM will provide participating school systems with COVID-19 rapid antigen tests that will be administered to students, teachers, and staff who choose to participate. Schools enrolled in the program will also receive PPE to safely administer the rapid tests, which produce reliable results within 15 minutes. Texas public and private schools interested in applying for the testing program will be able to apply through the Texas Education Agency no later than October 28.