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Bob Hope School in Port Arthur is going to be on the cutting edge of COVID-19 rapid testing in Texas.

It’s one of eight school systems teaming the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Division of Emergency Management in the creation of a COVID-19 Rapid Testing Pilot Program for Texas school systems.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced details of the program Wednesday, saying it would 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.

Through this pilot program, Emergency Management is providing rapid antigen tests that will be administered to students, teachers and staff who choose to participate.

Schools enrolled in the program also receive personal protective equipment to safely administer the rapid tests, which produce reliable results within 15 minutes.

“As more students return to campus for in-person instruction, the State of Texas is working alongside school officials to provide resources to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among students and staff,” Abbott said.

“Thank you to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for providing these advanced antigen tests to the State of Texas. This rapid testing pilot program will be an effective strategy to protect the health and safety of students and staff while helping to further ensure that Texas students have access to a quality education throughout the pandemic and beyond.”

The launch of the pilot program includes eight school systems with plans to significantly ramp up the program across the state.

Texas public and private schools interested in applying for the testing program can apply through the Texas Education Agency no later than Oct. 28.

Participating school systems include Bob Hope, Fabens ISD, Grace Community School (Tyler), Granger ISD, Lampasas ISD, Longview ISD, Harlingen Consolidated ISD and Ysleta ISD.