Screening for Symptoms

Daily screening for symptoms is one of the essential measures everyone must use to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus. 

• Parents/Guardians need to conduct the daily health screening prior to their child being brought to school or to the bus stop. Schools can provide printed and video guides, and offer training as needed. 
• To prevent the spread of infection:
  • Individuals showing symptoms: isolate at home and test immediately OR Isolate at home for at least 5 days, if feeling better can return on Day 6. Test not required but strongly recommended.
  • Individuals who are positive: isolate at least 5 days and test on Day 5, may return on Day 6 OR if feeling better can return to school on Day 6. Test not required but strongly recommended.
  • Individuals who are vaccinated and test negative: may return to school/work before the 5-day period. Unvaccinated individuals must wait the full 5-day period.
  • The CDC offers guidance online called Staying Home when Sick and Getting Tested.
• All staff have been trained on signs and symptoms of COVID-19, actions to take with each of four scenarios, and what to do if anyone develops symptoms during the school day.
• Students who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 will be safely isolated until they are picked up. Employees exhibiting symptoms will be sent home, regardless of vaccination status.
• Alternate assignments are available to children who need to stay home because they are sick or in isolation due to COVID-19 infection.
• Our school nurses have reviewed all student health plans to prepare health support for returning students. 
• Our collaboration with the County Public Health Department regarding tracking and tracing will determine testing and returning to school, including those who have had an exposure to COVID-19. All individuals who are positive for COVID-19 will be provided information about appropriate next steps.
• We will maintain communication systems that allow staff and families to self-report symptoms and receive prompt notifications of exposures, exclusions, and closures, while maintaining confidentiality, as required by FERPA 31 and state law regarding privacy of educational records. 

The following infographic is offered to assist with decisions about quarantining if exposed to COVI-19.

Back to top

Hand Hygiene

Hand hygiene is an effective strategy to prevent the spread of most respiratory viruses. Our staff will be teaching proper hand hygiene (soap and water or hand sanitizer) and scheduling routine, frequent hand-washing activities throughout the school day.

• Teach and reinforce washing hands, avoiding contact with one's eyes, nose, and mouth, and covering coughs and sneezes among students and staff.
• Promote hand washing throughout the day, especially before and after eating, after using the toilet, and after handling garbage, or removing gloves. 
• Ensure adequate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors, including soap, tissues, no-touch trash cans, face coverings, and hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent ethyl alcohol for staff and children who can safely use hand sanitizer.

Back to top

Face Coverings

The current State guidelines strongly recommend use of face coverings for all staff and students, regardless of vaccination status, for indoor environments, on school buses to prevent disease transmission. See Public Health Department Guidance for K-12 Schools for details about face covering requirements for children and adults.

Updates as of February 28, 2022:

• Effective March 1, 2022 , the requirement that unvaccinated individuals mask in indoor public settings will move to a strong recommendation  that all persons, regardless of vaccine status, continue indoor masking. 

• Universal masking shall remain required in specified high-risk settings.

• After March 11, 2022, the universal masking requirement for K-12 and Childcare settings will terminate.   CDPH strongly recommends that individuals in these settings continue to mask in indoor settings when the universal masking requirement lifts.

• All students who use face coverings will use those provided from home. (Schools will maintain a supply of non-medical masks in case a student or staff member does not have one and needs one for the day.)
• Regarding masking while participating in high-exertion activities, the March 11 guidance states: "Indoor mask use remains an effective layer in protecting against COVID-19 infection and transmission, including during sports, music, and related activities, especially activities with increased exertion and/or voice projection, or prolonged close face-face contact. Accordingly, when actively practicing, conditioning, performing, or competing indoors, masks are strongly recommended by participants even during heavy exertion, as practicable. Individuals using instruments indoors that cannot be played with a mask (e.g., wind instruments) are strongly recommended to use bell coverings and maintain a minimum of 3 feet of physical distancing between participants. If masks are not worn (or bell covers are not used) due to heavy exertion, it is strongly recommended that individuals undergo screening testing at least once weekly, unless they had COVID-19 in the past 90 days. An FDA-authorized antigen test, PCR test, or pooled PCR test is acceptable for evaluation of an individual's COVID-19 status."

Back to top

Ventilation

To ensure healthy indoor air quality we have optimized our ventilation systems in accordance with the CDPH Guidance on Ventilation of Indoor Environments and Ventilation and Filtration to Reduce Long-Range Airborne Transmission of COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Infections

Back to top

Physical Distancing

According to the California Public Health Department guidance, "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." *

CDPH guidance recommends focusing on the other mitigation strategies provided in this guidance instead of implementing minimum physical distancing requirements for routine classroom instruction.

Schools will limit the people on campus to only those necessary to support the school’s educational program. We understand the benefit of parents walking students to their classroom, especially our youngest learners at the beginning of the school year.  We ask that parents wear facial coverings, remain outside of the classroom and limit their time on campus to ten minutes.  

Outdoor and other activities

Activities should take place outside to the maximum extent practicable. 

The March 11 guidance states: "...when actively practicing, conditioning, performing, or competing indoors, masks are strongly recommended by participants even during heavy exertion, as practicable....If masks are not worn (or bell covers are not used [on musical instruments]) due to heavy exertion, it is strongly recommended that individuals undergo screening testing at least once weekly, unless they had COVID-19 in the past 90 days. An FDA-authorized antigen test, PCR test, or pooled PCR test is acceptable for evaluation of an individual's COVID-19 status."

Back to top

Cleaning and Disinfecting

“Cleaning” involves water and soap or a detergent, does not use disinfecting agents, and significantly decreases germs on surfaces and decreases infectious risks. 

“Disinfection” kills germs on surfaces using specific agents (see below for those approved for use). If a facility has had a sick person with COVID-19 within the last 24 hours, our custodial staff will clean and disinfect the spaces occupied by that person.

Frequent disinfection can pose a health risk to children and students due to the strong chemicals often used and so is not recommended in the school setting unless a case has been identified. 

The District uses greener products for cleaning and disinfecting, and only appropriately trained staff are permitted to use disinfectants in the school setting. Staff will keep disinfecting products away from students.

In general, cleaning once a day is usually enough to sufficiently remove potential virus that may be on surfaces. Disinfecting (using disinfectants on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency COVID-19 list) removes any remaining germs on surfaces, which further reduces any risk of spreading infection.

For more information on cleaning a facility regularly, when to clean more frequently or disinfect, cleaning a facility when someone is sick, safe storage of cleaning and disinfecting products, and considerations for protecting workers who clean facilities, see the CDC’s guide for Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility.

Back to top

Transportation

Please note the following guidelines for bus/van transportation by bus, van or other vehicles owned by CUSD:

• Parents will need to screen their own children for symptoms of illness before the child boards the bus or van. Drivers will have authority to refuse boarding to any student demonstrating symptoms. 
• Face coverings are strongly recommended for students, parents, and employees while on the bus or van, when carpooling, and while waiting at bus stops. Face coverings are not required.
• Students need to be escorted to the bus or van by an adult. 
• As much as possible, students from the same cohort or family will be seated together.
• Improved ventilation (e.g. keeping windows open, weather permitting) and enhanced disinfecting protocols will be followed.

Back to top

Student Nutrition

To reduce the spread of the coronavirus, we are making the following adjustments:

• Menus will continue to follow the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program guidelines. 
• Workers or other persons handling or serving food will use gloves in addition to face coverings.  
• All meals are free for all students in the 2021-2022 school year. 
• We will provide as much outdoor eating as is feasible.
• Custodians will clean frequently touched surfaces, and those that come in contact with food, before and after meals.
• Fresh, healthy meals will be pre-assembled by the Child Nutrition Staff. We will give students their pre-assembled meal at a point of service. We will continue this practice until it is deemed safe to serve otherwise.
• Use of self-service salad bars will be suspended to decrease transmission risk.
• Meals will be available for all students regardless of income level, also known as Universal Free Meals.

Back to top

Mental Health

A proactive approach is important to decrease the mental health impact for students related to the sudden school closure, sheltering-in-place, and resuming or reopening schools caused by responding to the pandemic. 

To address sources of distress and create a welcoming learning community, we will:

• Incorporate lessons specific to supporting and developing social and emotional wellbeing.
• Seek to provide early identification and intervention of learning gaps that may have occurred during school closures.
• Provide onsite and/or telehealth individual counseling services or family coaching.
• Provide staff professional development on topics such as suicide prevention, social-emotional learning, and trauma informed practices.
• Adapt mental health support services provided by partner agencies for groups or individual students, as needed. 
• Provide families with opportunities to engage and participate in trainings that will  support their own social emotional well being and their student’s 
• Encourage and share with students how to seek support with a staff member when needed.
• Share local mental health resources with students and families to access during non-school hours.

Back to top

Visitors on Campus

In alignment with the April 6, 2022, update to the CDPH K-12 Guidance:

• Symptomatic individuals should not come to school.
• Parents/Guardians may walk their student to class.
• Masks are strongly recommended, and not required.
• All in-classroom volunteers and individuals who provide essential services/support to the school’s educational program must be vaccinated, per Governing Board policy. 
• Families may come onto campus for various school events, such as plays, celebrations, graduations, and will not be required to show proof of vaccination to attend.

Back to top

COVID-19 Testing and Exposure Procedures

Campbell Union School District has a no-cost testing program available to support the modified quarantine that is managed and provided by Predicine Inc.. Parents/guardians must submit an informed consent form to Predicine in order for students under 18 years old to be tested.

We have strongly encouraged all employees to get vaccinated and require all unvaccinated employees to provide a negative COVID-19 test each week. 

A school with confirmed cases and even a small cluster of COVID-19 cases can remain open for in-person education as long as contact tracing identifies all school contacts for exclusion and testing in a timely manner, any small cluster is investigated and controlled rapidly, and the local health department (LHD) confirms that the school can remain open.

Case reporting, contact tracing and investigation

1. Per AB 86 (2021) and California Code Title 17, section 2500, schools are required to report COVID-19 cases to the local public health department.
2. Schools or LEAs should have a COVID-19 liaison to assist the local health department with contact tracing and investigation.  
3. Starting 4/6/2022, updated K-12 guidance from the CDPH will go into effect. The specific area updated addresses the household close contact and allows students to attend school if asympotmatic.  The update states:

Recommendations for Students exposed to COVID-19:
Schools may consider permitting asymptomatic exposed students, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status or location of exposure, to 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.  It is strongly recommended that exposed students wear a well-fitting mask indoors around others for at least 10 days following the date of last exposure, if not already doing so. 

a. Exposed students, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, should get tested for COVID-19 with at least one diagnostic test (e.g., an FDA-authorized antigen diagnostic test, PCR diagnostic test, or pooled PCR test) obtained within 3-5 days after last exposure, unless they had COVID-19 within the last 90 days. 

i. Exposed students who had COVID-19 within the last 90 days do not need to be tested after exposure but should monitor for symptoms.  If symptoms develop, they should isolate and get tested with an antigen test.

ii. If the exposed student has symptoms consistent with COVID-19, they should stay home, get tested and follow the guidance in Section #4 above.

iii. If the exposed student tests positive for COVID-19, follow the guidance for isolation in Section #10 below.

b. Follow the Group Tracing Guidance for notification recommendations for exposures that occur in a school setting.

Exposure Notices and Group Tracing

When a positive case occurs, a Group Notification will be sent out to all members who shared the same indoor airspace with someone with COVID-19 for at least 15 min within 24 hours. Students can remain at school. It is strongly recommended that all close contacts wear a mask for 10 days from the last day of exposure and to test on their regular testing day or go to a community testing site, however it is not required.

Tracking and tracing is only for indoor situations.

• The COVID Tracking and Tracing team will send a letter of exposure to all known staff and groups of students who shared the same indoor airspace with a confirmed positive case. Reminder: All staff positive cases will need to report other possible close contacts who are not in their classroom to the Tracker/Tracer Team for follow up.
• All positive student cases who were on campus during their infectious period, will be documented for appropriate follow up by the COVID tracking and tracing team.

We will send notifications through our normal channels: phone, email and/or online—as appropriate to the situation. We will follow County Public Health Department notification guidelines, which include protections for student and family privacy.

We will follow all protocols for disinfecting, notification, and possible quarantine, as determined by the Public Health Department.

Back to top