Important Changes to COVID School Protocols When There is a Positive Case on Campus
Please find below some important changes, effective May 4, regarding exposure management for positive COVID cases. This is a mandatory component of the school protocols for Los Angeles County so Da Vinci must comply. See here for the updated COVID-19 Exposure Management Plan Guidance in TK-12 Schools.
In summary, persons are considered to have been exposed to a case (close contact) during the infectious period if they shared the same indoor airspace (i.e., a classroom) at school with the infected person for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. Anyone identified as a close contact must mask for 10 days indoors and must test 3-5 days after exposure.
Below is a detailed summary of the important changes:
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The new definition of a close contact is as follows: “someone sharing the same indoor airspace for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period.” In lieu of contact tracing those within 6 feet of an individual with COVID, due to the evolving understanding of the airborne nature, schools will alert all contacts in the same indoor airspace for 15 minutes or more that they are a close contact. (Everyone in the same class as a positive case will be considered a close contact).
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Quarantine/Masking/Testing change:
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Employees: Employees who are vaccinated (regardless of booster status) are not required to quarantine if exposed as long as they remain asymptomatic and test on day 3-5 since exposure. Unvaccinated staff are required to quarantine following exposure for 5 days and a subsequent negative test.
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Students: Regardless of vaccination status, student close contacts are no longer required to quarantine at home as long as they are asymptomatic and adhere to the below requirements:
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Wear a highly protective mask for 10 days from exposure date. The mask should be a well-fitting medical mask, a well fitting respirator, or a well-fitting high filtration reusable mask with a nose wire.
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Get tested as soon as possible (ideally between days 3-5 after exposure). PCR, rapid/antigen, and home tests are all approved. If you need a test kit you or your child can pick one up from your school’s front office/lobby. **If your child had COVID-19 within the last 90 days and they are asymptomatic, they are exempt from testing.
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Monitor health for 10 days. If your child develops illness symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, please keep them home and notify the school. Signs and symptoms include:
- Fever or chills
- New Cough
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
Therefore, should a Da Vinci student be identified as a close contact, they and their parent/guardian will receive an email notice that informs them of the requirement for students to wear a mask for 10 days and test 3-5 days after exposure.
Rapid Tests
Da Vinci students can take a rapid COVID test in their site health office daily 8:30am-3:30pm. No appointment is needed. Students are not allowed to test during class hours and will be sent back to class. Students, please pre-register for testing here.
PCR Testing
Da Vinci Schools offers onsite PCR testing for students and staff weekly on Mondays/Tuesdays from 8:30am-3:30pm. This does not replace our existing rapid testing program. Pre-registration required: https://ihd-patient.preciseq.com/davinci-schools
What to bring: ID and unique QR code provided after registration (This code is to be used for the lifetime of the Testing Program. Please present this code to the technician prior to every test) *Please note, insurance information is required, so we encourage students to register at home with access to their insurance card.
For further information, please check out our COVID FAQs please see here.
Other COVID updates
Visitor Protocol
The August 11, 2021 CDPH order that requires schools to verify the vaccine status of adults on campus/volunteers/visitors is still in effect. Please plan to present either proof of vaccination or a negative test from within past 72 hours upon arrival to all Da Vinci campuses. The details of the CDPH Order can be found here.
Update from CDPH Regarding COVID Vaccination Requirement
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has announced that any state requirement for students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 will not take effect before July 1, 2023. CDPH issued a statement saying: "To ensure sufficient time for successful implementation of new vaccine requirements, California will not initiate the regulatory process for a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for the 2022-2023 school year and as such, any vaccine requirements would not take effect until after full FDA approval and no sooner than July 1, 2023."
