Dear Superintendents and School Leaders,
I am writing with updates since my last message.
CDC Announces “Test to Stay” Protocol
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that unvaccinated students exposed to the coronavirus no longer need to miss school if they repeatedly test negative for the virus in the days after, allowing them to remain in class and school activities.
The
new “test to stay” protocol is similar to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) modified (in-school) quarantine. In California schools, modified quarantine is limited to on-campus exposures where both the positive person and close contacts were wearing masks.
State Addresses Face Coverings in K-12 Settings
CDPH has received questions regarding if K-12 employees need to wear face coverings in indoor spaces when not in the presence of students. The department shared the following to address this issue:
- Employees, including those on K-12 campuses, are subject to CalOSHA Emergency Temporary Standards, which states in Section 6(B) that “Employers shall provide face coverings and ensure they are worn by employees when required by orders from the CDPH.”
- As noted in the Guidance for Face Coverings, CDPH is now “requiring masks to be worn in all indoor public settings, irrespective of vaccine status, for the next four weeks (Dec. 15, 2021 through Jan. 15, 2022).”
- Further, as noted in the Face Coverings Q&A, “the guidance applies to all workplaces, regardless of whether they serve the public, or are open to the public. Masks may be removed, per the exemption noted below, if the workplace consists of a single employee, or may be removed while an employee is alone in a closed office or room.”
Governor Issues Executive Order to Readopt Emergency Temporary Standards
The state Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) adopted COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards in November 2020 and readopted them in June 2021. The standards – which establish various workplace safety requirements related to COVID-19 for employers, including requirements for face coverings and physical distancing – are set to expire Jan. 14, 2022.
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an
executive order yesterday that readopted and extended the standards “so long as the effective period of the third readoption does not extend beyond Dec 31, 2022.” The order will “permit the Legislature to assess whether to enact workplace safety legislation in response to COVID-19, as well as to permit the Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Occupational Safety and Health to evaluate appropriate provisions to include in any permanent regulation it will propose to OSHSB to supersede the Emergency Temporary Standards.”
Neither the CDC's new protocol nor the readoption of the Emergency Temporary Standards are expected to make an immediate impact on school operations; however, we wanted to make you aware of the updates in case you get questions from your school communities.
Thank you for all that you do. As always, please reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Paul
Dr. Paul Gothold
San Diego County Superintendent of Schools
phone: 858-295-6641
