Dear Superintendents and School Leaders,
I am writing with several updates since my last message.
Decision Tree Updates: Contact Tracing and Quarantine
The
COVID-19 Decision Tree has been updated to reflect revised schools guidance from the California Department of Public Health, with a new alternative to contact tracing as well as two revised quarantine options available with traditional contact tracing.
Schools that opt to use group tracing would no longer identify student close contacts or impose quarantine on students following close contact (unless the student lives with someone who has COVID-19). The group tracing approach involves providing a notice to all students (including fully vaccinated students and those within 90 days of prior infection) who shared an indoor airspace for 15 minutes or more with a person who was contagious with COVID-19. The notice should inform them that they are required to test on Day 3, 4, or 5 in order to remain in school.
- Schools are not required to track all testing results.
- Parents are required to inform the school of positive test results.
- Exposed students who participate in testing may continue to take part in all aspects of K-12 schooling, including sports and extracurricular activities, unless they develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19.
- Group tracing may not be used for K-12 workers. Schools are still required to use individual contact tracing and the quarantine options described for employees in the COVID-19 K-12 Decision Trees.
For schools that continue to use individual contact tracing, the two applicable quarantine provisions have been updated.
- Students in “modified (in-school) quarantine” can now return to all extracurricular activities as early as Day 6 with evidence of a negative test sample collected on Day 5 or later.
- Students who cannot qualify for “modified (in-school) quarantine” may return as early as Day 6 with evidence of a negative test sample collected on Day 5 or later.
The trees have also been updated to clarify the quarantine requirements when a student or employee lives with someone who has COVID-19.
An updated Spanish version of the decision tree and the e-Decision Tree will be available early next week.
N95 Masks Now Available for Students and Education Workers
The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) has received approximately 25% of the total county allocation of N95 masks from the state. As such, beginning next week, we will disburse a 25% allocation to each school district, charter school, and private school in the region.
The masks are intended for K-12 students and staff members, including those attending or working at private schools.
Currently, SDCOE has only received adult-sized masks, which are for students in grades 7-12 as well as school employees. We are expecting another delivery of small surgical masks, but have not received a delivery date from the state.
An SDCOE representative will reach out to the contacts we have on file from previous distributions of personal protective equipment to arrange pickup from the SDCOE warehouse.
For planning purposes, one case of masks is 14"x30"20" and holds 960 masks. Please plan accordingly in terms of the size of vehicle sent for pickups.
Updated Template Letters Now Available
With the latest changes to quarantine guidance and contact tracing, the SDCOE Communications team has updated a number of template parent letters in English and Spanish:
Written Finding for Temporary Staffing Flexibility
Gov. Newsom’s recent
executive order authorizes flexibility for schools to support continued in-person instruction if “the school district superintendent, county superintendent of schools, or charter school leader, or such officials' designee, makes a written finding… that temporary staffing flexibility will support the [district or school] in maintaining in-person services for students despite staffing shortages caused by the Omicron-driven rise in COVID-19 cases.”
The written finding is required to be signed by the official or designee and retained and made available to any member of the public upon request.
The SDCOE Legal Services team has created
this template for optional use to document the finding that staffing flexibility is needed.
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
