March 14, 2022
Dear Superintendents and School Leaders,

I'm writing with updates on several COVID-19-related items that have arisen since my last message.

State Strongly Recommends Group Tracing
While the COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California includes recommendations on quarantine, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) strongly recommends that schools utilize the notification-based model provided in Group Tracing Approach to Students Exposed to COVID-19 in a K-12 Setting. Notably, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention similarly no longer recommends individual contact tracing in schools, and instead recommends appropriate COVID-19 prevention measures and an approach akin to California's group tracing approach. Schools are still required to use individual contact tracing with employees and should continue to require quarantine for household and community exposures.

Updates to the COVID-19 Decision Trees and FAQ
The COVID-19 Decision Tree and related frequently asked questions have been updated to reflect the following new guidance from CDPH.
  • Masking: Students who are authorized to return from isolation or quarantine before Day 11 should (it’s no longer a “must”) mask indoors and outdoors when around others. However, per Cal/OSHA’s emergency temporary standards, employees who are authorized to return from isolation or quarantine before Day 11 must mask indoors and outdoors when around others.
  • Group Tracing: All students who shared a common airspace for 15 minutes or more with a person who was contagious with COVID-19, including those who are fully vaccinated, must be notified that they should test on days 3, 4, or 5 following their last exposure. However, CDPH now says that students who are within 90 days of a prior verified COVID-19 infection should not test.
  • Confirmation Testing: When a person receives a negative antigen test result within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, they can now use a second antigen test (or a PCR or other NAAT) taken the following day to confirm the initial finding. If both tests are negative, the person can then return to school or work when they have been free of fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and their symptoms are improving.
  • Verified Non-COVID-19 Diagnosis: When a person has symptoms, the school can now accept evidence of a verified diagnosis from a physician of another illness that accounts for the symptoms to allow return to school or work when the person has been free of fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and their symptoms are improving.  

The Spanish COVID-19 Decision Tree and e-Decision Tree will be updated in the next few days.

Statewide Instructional Modes Survey Resumes
Beginning with the March 28 administration window (March 25 – April 7), the Statewide Instructional Modes Survey will be updated to include questions about how districts, charters, and private schools have implemented expanded learning supports for students during the 2021-22 school year as well as their plans for summer 2022. 

The state development team will be hosting a webinar this Thursday, March 17, from 4 to 5 p.m. to walk through the upcoming changes to the survey questions. Register now. If you are unable to attend the webinar, the archived recording and slides will be posted on the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence website.

Please contact the California Safe Schools Support Desk for assistance with the Instructional Modes Survey, or check the FAQ sheet for responses to commonly asked questions. 

Thank you for all that you do. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Paul

Dr. Paul Gothold
San Diego County Superintendent of Schools
phone: 858-295-6641