JANUARY 16, 2022
Hello Davis Waldorf School Families,
I hope you are doing well and managing to stay healthy. With the current surge, we along with other schools in Davis and California are seeing higher positive cases within our community. As scientists and healthcare professionals work hard to figure out the characteristics of the omicron variant, Yolo County Health guidelines have changed and at times changed back.
I realize this is all very confusing and hard to navigate. Please know the DWS office is working hard to stay on top of changes and are modifying policies based on known factors. We realize there are likely many questions in our community around guidelines and procedures. Please take a moment to read this letter which shares current policies:
At-home Antigen (Rapid) Tests: At home tests are accepted if the parent verifies that their student was the one who tested, that they followed manufacturers’ instructions and if a photo of the test with the date and child’s name or initials are written on it is submitted to registrar@daviswaldorf.org.
We do suggest families take advantage of PCR testing in our community as much as possible. PCR testing is more sensitive and we have found it to be more accurate at the beginning of an illness when viral load may be too low to be captured by an Antigen test.
Tests: Many families have asked whether DWS is able to provide at-home tests. We are not able to at this time as the program we were using is now only available to public schools; however, we are able to provide group Antigen testing on site.
Positive Case: If your student or any member of your family tests positive, please notify the office immediately. The office will inform you have quarantine periods and testing requirements.
Modified Quarantine: A modified quarantine allows students to attend school for learning purposes. Students must wear a well fitted mask on campus except when eating, drinking, or playing music outdoors for days 6 through 10 and follow the testing schedule. Students are ineligible to participate in extracurriculars including aftercare. If your child develops symptoms you must inform the office immediately.
Masking: Masking supports students' ability to continue to attend school. We are currently assessing how to improve spacing at times where masking isn’t possible, such as meal times. Yolo County recommends improving the quality of masks indoors. They suggest individuals upgrade to n95, kn95 or kf94 masks. Individuals may also double mask or use a mask with a PM2.5 filter.
