Update

Introduction

Below you will find the most updated iteration of our COVID policies. Our school policies follow all state (CDPH) and county (Yolo County Health Department) guidelines and regulations. Our goal for this year is to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our students and employees and to provide a comprehensive learning program that supports the development of the ‘whole child’. We offer this guide so that our community may remain informed. We want to acknowledge that the COVID pandemic is ever-changing and updates to our plan may occur as necessary to reflect new information or government mandates. Main changes are in bold for your convenience.

Health Screenings

Last year, the school utilized an app to support the screening of employees and students. This year we ask all families and employees to continue screening at home without the use of the School Wellness Screener app. By stepping onto campus you are affirming you are in good health and free of the common COVID symptoms:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

Face Coverings

We will require all students and staff members to wear masks indoors. 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 PM 2.5 filter. Masks are not required for students or staff members outdoors. During Pick up, when parents are on campus for 15 minutes or less and outdoors masks will not be required. Per teacher request, masks will be worn during all outdoor Strings and Spanish classes. If you would like your child to continue masking outdoors, please notify your class teacher.

A cloth face covering is a 2-layer (minimum) material that covers the nose and mouth. It may also contain a filter. It can be secured with ties or straps around the ears or head, or simply wrapped around the lower face. It can be made of a variety of materials, such as cotton, silk, or linen. See images below for examples of acceptable cloth face coverings.

Face Coverings are required for visitors on campus. Mentors, Guest teachers and Volunteers are able to be maskless on campus outdoors with a negative test performed within 72 hours.

Vaccination Records

As guidelines vary based on vaccination status, we ask parents to submit your child's vaccination card to our Registrar. We would appreciate submission by this Friday, March 4th.

Testing

We recommend all employees test once a week regardless of vaccination status. Unvaccinated employees are required to test weekly. Testing is an important mitigation measure and shortens periods of absence. We encourage students to test weekly as well.

At-home Antigen (Rapid) Tests are accepted for students if:

The parent verifies that their student was the one who tested
That they followed manufacturers’ instructions
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

All staff at home tests are required by CDPH to be observed by a supervisor.

Antigen testing on site will be available based on need and staff availability. Class parents, please check in with the office when arranging a large class event if volunteers are hoping to test on campus so we may support testing. Rapid tests were provided to schools for free through a CDPH program which requires logging test results into Primary Health. If you would like to test on campus, but haven't registered, you can do it here.

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. Testing appointments are again readily available through Healthy Davis Together and wait times are short with an appointment.

Volunteers and Field Trips

Volunteers are required to test weekly. Both at home antigen (rapid) tests and PCR tests are acceptable. Please write the name and date on at home tests and be prepared to share a photo of the test when signing in at the office. Volunteers who will be working outside may be maskless provided they have tested within 72 hours.

Carpool

All passengers and drivers in a car must wear face coverings. The only exception to this policy is if a parent/guardian and their own child are the only passengers in the vehicle.

Testing for Overnight Field Trips

We recommend students take a COVID test 72 hours (or less) before the first day of a trip. If students are sleeping in the same tent with other students/chaperones, we require the students to take a COVID test 72 hours (or less) before the first day of the trip, and to provide negative test results from said test prior to the trip. DWS is able to provide group testing for classes prior to a trip with notice.

Chaperones

Parents/Guardians will follow the regular volunteer policy, which includes taking a COVID test 72 hours (or less) before the first day of the trip for overnights or within the week for a day-trip, and must provide negative test results from said test prior to departure.

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.

Positive Cases

If your student or any member of your family tests positive, please notify the office immediately using registrar@daviswaldorf.org. Cori will inform you of quarantine periods and testing requirements. We will notify classes of any positive case that was on campus during their infectious window.

Exposures outside of School require families (students, staff and parents) to follow the Non-School Non-Healthcare Decision Tree.

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.

Group Contact Tracing

Prior to the development of Group Contact Tracing, 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. To mitigate this challenge, CDPH has provided schools with the ability to group contact trace. Any student who has spent 15 minutes or more in the same inside room with the positive individual is considered a close contact and is required to test 3-5 days after the exposure in order to continue attending school. Families who choose not to test will need to quarantine for 10 days from exposure.

Staff members are unable to use Group Tracing and must follow the School Staff Decision Tree for on campus exposures.

Returning to campus

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 through day 10. Masks may not be removed inside for any reason.

After an Illness

Students and staff 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.

International Travel

After International travel, we ask families to be extra vigilant and look out for COVID symptoms. We highly encourage testing after all travel, including domestic travel. We ask unvaccinated individuals to follow CDC guidance and quarantine themselves from school for 5 days after returning from international travel. The day of travel is considered day 0. Unvaccinated students may return to school on day 6 along with a negative test that was performed on or after the 3rd day.

If you recovered from a documented COVID-19 infection within the past 90 days (regardless of vaccination status), you do NOT need to get a test 3-5 days after travel. You also do not need to self-quarantine after travel. Please provide the school with documentation of your prior infection.

Sports and Music

Sports

Masks are required indoors at all times for teachers, referees, officials, coaches, and spectators. Masks are also required indoors for players while on the sidelines. If masks are not worn while playing, it is strongly recommended that individuals undergo screening testing at least once weekly. An FDA-approved antigen test, PCR test, or pooled PCR test is acceptable for evaluation of an individual's COVID-19 status.

Music

As per CDPH guidelines, the playing of musical instruments that cannot be done with a face covering (e.g., wind instruments) will occur outdoors or indoors with a bell cover. Masked singing may occur indoors.

Davis Waldorf School

3100 Sycamore Lane Davis, CA 95616

(530)-753-1651