2021-22 COVID-19 policy updates
The following updates are related to COVID-19 and will be in place until further notice. Because of changing conditions related to COVID-19, we are including this information as part of Carondelet’s Handbook and behavioral expectations. Updates will be provided as we receive information from Contra Costa Health Services and the California Department of Public Health.
For more information on our health and safety guidelines related to COVID-19, please visit CarondeletHS.org/COVID19. We will assess conditions on an ongoing basis, in conjunction with the state and county, and will update the Carondelet community with any changes as needed.
Updated policies for the 2021-22 school year:
All students on campus
All students are expected to return to campus and attend classes in person. Distance learning options will not be available for students. This will allow students to receive instruction and work with peers directly every day. Additionally, teachers will no longer be required to navigate a hybrid learning environment.
Vaccination is recommended
Carondelet highly encourages all students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to safeguard themselves and our school community. Get Answers to your questions about the vaccine from Contra Costa Health Services, John Muir Health, and Kaiser.
All students can fully participate in on-campus classes, however county restrictions may be implemented which changes accessibility to some Carondelet experiences. Moving forward, some Carondelet extra-curricular experiences (e.g., athletics, retreats, indoor dances, etc.) may require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within a certain period of time.
For this reason and due to contact tracing protocols, we need to understand which students are vaccinated. Please log into your family’s SchoolAdmin portal to upload COVID-19 vaccination documentation immediately if you have it. If you do not upload your student’s vaccination information, we will assume that your student is not vaccinated.
Masks required indoors, optional outdoors
Masks are considered the most effective and simplest safety mitigation to prevent in-school transmission of COVID-19 infections and to support full time in-person instruction in school. All students are required to wear approved masks whenever they are indoors. This policy is in effect on the main campus, at the Carondelet Athletics Complex, and at De La Salle. All adults, including visitors and parents, are required to wear masks when in the presence of students.
Masks are recommended, though not required, when outside. Exceptions may apply for some public or crowded outdoor activities that involve sustained close contact.
Social distancing not required when masked or outdoors
Recent evidence indicates that in-person instruction can occur safely without minimum physical distancing requirements when other mitigation strategies (e.g., masking) are implemented. This is consistent with CDC K-12 School Guidance. As long as all students are following masking guidelines, social distancing is not required at this time. Students should still social distance when eating lunch indoors.
Stay home if sick
Students who have symptoms of infectious illness, such as influenza (flu) or COVID-19, should stay home. Parents/guardians should also promptly connect with our Attendance Officer and contact their healthcare provider for testing and care. Isolating when sick with COVID-19 and/or quarantining when close contact to a positive case has been confirmed, is essential to keep COVID-19 infections out of schools and prevent spread to others.
Students with symptoms of COVID-19 infection, regardless of vaccination status, should not return for in-person instruction until they have met California Department of Public Health’s criteria to return to school for those with symptoms:
- At least 24 hours have passed since resolution of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications; and
- Other symptoms have improved; and
- They have a negative test for SARS-CoV-2, OR a healthcare provider has provided documentation that the symptoms are typical of their underlying chronic condition (e.g., allergies or asthma), OR a healthcare provider has confirmed an alternative named diagnosis, OR at least 10 days have passed since symptom onset.
No on-campus testing
Carondelet will not be hosting on campus COVID-19 testing. For students who are required to test due to symptoms, exposure to a close contact, or other circumstances, we recommend visiting your primary care physician or utilizing the county testing services.
CHS Prescreen App status
We will not be using the CHS Prescreen App for daily arrival to campus. If there is a rise in cases, and we need to start using the app again, we will let you know.
Additional details in handbook
All details and full information about new COVID-19 policies are documented in the Student Handbook.
Case Reporting, Contact Tracing, and Investigation
Informed Consent
This notice is to inform you of the steps that Carondelet and De La Salle will take to maintain health and safety, with the understanding that we cannot guarantee that your students (both Carondelet and De La Salle students) being on campus will be free from the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. We ask that you partner with us in understanding how you and your student(s) can help reduce the risk of transmission by staying current on information about the virus provided by public health officials and experts, and acknowledging that by sending your student to our campus, there is an unavoidable risk that you and your student may become infected with COVID-19. We will continue to send out guidance to you as we receive it from our public health experts and authorities. Parents, students, and employees are responsible to familiarize themselves with, and comply with, these state and county health guidelines:
Patience and care for one another
We continue to invite our community to be patient with one another as we come back to campus. Our joint Carondelet and De La Salle community is a special one, and it is our responsibility to preserve it through our care and love for one another.
