JANUARY 28, 2022


Hello Davis Waldorf School Families, 


Can you believe it has just been 12 days since our last Covid update? With the Omicron variant being the widest spread variant in Yolo county, there is still quite the influx of policy changes and adjustments. The good news is that Yolo County Health Officer, Dr. Sisson, shared that she believes Yolo county may have peaked with Omicron transmission on January 17th.

The biggest change is the new option provided by CDPH which allows schools to implement Group Contact Tracing. Prior to this the focus has been on individual contact tracing. Individual contact tracing requires significant resources. As you know the decision tree and identifying who the “close contacts” are is complex, and it can be challenging to be completely accurate. If a close contact occurs on campus, we will utilize the group contract tracing decision tree included below.

The Group Tracing method focuses on time spent indoors where transmission is more likely to occur and requires all students who were in the indoor space to test. Please be aware, there is a separate decision tree for staff or volunteers.
At-home Antigen (Rapid) Tests are accepted if: 
  1. The parent verifies that their student was the one who tested
  2. That they followed manufacturers’ instructions 
  3. 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 of quarantine periods and testing requirements.  

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.

Exposures outside of School require families (students, staff and parents) to follow the Non-School Non-Healthcare Decision Tree.
Isolation Guidelines for a Positive Case or Exposure Outside of School
*To be considered fully vaccinated last shot of a two series vaccine must be at least 14 days prior. There is no booster requirement for individuals under 18. For individuals 18 and over, the requirement is to be fully up to date with vaccination. Meaning the individual has received a booster if they are booster eligible.

After an exposure or a positive case individuals must follow a stronger mask regimen for days 6-10. Individuals must wear a high quality and well-fitted mask inside and outside, through day 10. They may only remove their masks to eat and drink, and they must eat and drink outside. 

After a sickness, students may return with a negative test, improved symptoms and so long as they have gone over 24 hours without a fever or fever reducing medication. At the beginning of an illness the viral load may be too low to detect Covid with rapid test. If you test at symptom onset and continue to not feel well enough to return to school, it is recommended by Dr. Sisson that you test again 1-3 days after initial test.

While the above chart is extensive, it doesn’t cover all scenarios, so please inform the school of your child’s situation as soon as possible and we will share the requirements. At times, the Davis Waldorf School may decide to follow a stricter policy than the county requires, such as requiring vaccinated individuals in the same household to quarantine for a period before coming on campus. This is done to support the rest of the class in remaining healthy and to minimize further disruption to school and your child’s learning. 
Davis Waldorf School
3100 Sycamore Lane Davis, CA 95616
(530)-753-1651