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Vaccine Verification for Workers in Schools
September 13, 2022
Related Materials: Vaccine Verification for Workers in Schools - Q&A
State Public Health Officer Order of September 13, 2022
Since the start of the pandemic, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has led with science and data to better understand this disease. California has seen a dramatic increase in the percentage of Californians that are fully vaccinated and boosted. At present 80% of Californians 12 years of age and older have completed their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines, and 48% have received their first booster dose. Vaccines for children 5-11 years of age have been available since October 2021. Vaccine coverage is also high among workers in high-risk settings, and the proportion of unvaccinated workers is low. As we've also seen, the Omicron subvariants have shown immune escape and increased transmissibility, and while unvaccinated individuals still have higher risk of infection, previously infected, vaccinated, and boosted persons have also been infected. Consequently, mandated testing of the small number of unvaccinated workers is not effectively preventing disease transmission as with the original COVID-19 virus and prior variants earlier in the pandemic.
On August 11th and August 24th the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in updated guidance, also indicated that screening testing is no longer recommended in general community settings.
COVID-19 vaccination and boosters continue to remain the most important strategy to prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19.
Consequently, while COVID-19 remains with us, I am rescinding the August 11, 2021 State Public Health Officer Order effective September 17, 2022. The goal for California remains to preserve safe and in-person schooling. As indicated in the CA SMARTER PLAN, the next phase of mitigation in schools will focus on long-term prevention and preserves safe in-person schooling, which is critical to the mental and physical health and development of our children.
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Student COVID Safety Measures 2022-2023 (Updated 7/27/22)
Roseville Joint Union High School District
Student COVID Safety Measures
2022-2023 School Year
The following safety measures are in place to safeguard the health and safety of the students in the Roseville Joint Union High School District. These safety measures follow the June 30, 2022 CDPH COVID-19 guidance.
MITIGATION STRATEGIES:
- Vaccinations (Recommendation):
- California strongly recommends that all eligible individuals get vaccinated against COVID-19 and remain up-to-date to protect oneself and reduce transmission of the virus.
- In Door Air Quality (Recommended):
- Optimize/Upgrade HVAC units – The RJUHSD continues to use MERV 13 Air Filters in ongoing efforts to improve the indoor air quality in all RJUHSD facilities.
- Using Facemasks (Recommendation):
- Unless otherwise directed by local health departments or local educational agencies, students should follow CDPH masking guidance for the general public, as well was masking guidance for specific situations referenced below (e.g., when having symptoms, being infected, or exposed).
- No person can be prevented from wearing a mask as a condition of participation in an activity or entry into a school, unless wearing a mask would pose a safety hazard (e.g., watersports).
- Any student who wants or has need of a mask can request a mask in the main administrative office of all RJUHSD schools and facilities. N-95 masks are also available upon request.
- Testing (Recommendation):
- CDPH recommends that antigen tests be considered the primary option for detecting COVID-19 in schools, compared to PCR tests.
- Due to the increased travel and social interactions that often occurs during school-breaks, it is recommended that students get tested for COVID-19 prior to returning to school following major breaks (e.g., summer, winter, spring).
- The RJUHSD has a supply of Over The Counter (OTC) Emergency Use Authorized COVID-19 tests available upon request (for RJUHSD students).
- Additional testing recommendations are referenced in relevant sections below.
- Hand Sanitation (Recommendation):
- The RJUHSD has adequate supplies to support hand hygiene behaviors, including soap, tissues, no-touch trashcans, and hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent alcohol for students.
- The RJUHSD encourages individuals to cover coughs and sneezes to help keep individuals from getting and spreading infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
- Symptomatic Individuals (Recommendation):
- Any RJUHSD student who develops new, unexplained symptoms should not return to campus until it is clear that symptoms are mild and improving or are due to a non-infectious cause (e.g., allergies). This includes waiting until 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.
- Additionally, if symptoms are concerning for COVID-19, it is strongly recommended that students wear a mask and get tested immediately. Students should also follow CDPH recommendations for retesting and/or isolating if results are positive.
- Students Diagnosed with COVID-19 (Recommendation):
- Students diagnosed with COVID-19 should follow recommendations listed in Table 1 (Persons with COVID-19) of CDPH's guidance for the general public, including staying home for at least 5 days and wearing a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings. (See Table Below)
- Students Exposed to COVID-19 (Recommendation):
- It is recommended that families notify schools if their child has COVID-19 and was on school grounds during their infectious period, and that schools in turn notify students who spent more than a cumulative total of 15 minutes (within a 24-hour time period) in a shared indoor airspace (e.g., classroom) with someone with COVID-19 during their infectious period.
- In lieu of individual exposure notifications, the RJUHSD will provide a general notification to the entire school community via the school website homepage. Parents and students can monitor if there was a positive COVID case in any of their individual classrooms (daily update). This communication will alert all to the increased potential of being exposed to COVID-19 due to a rise in cases among school and community members, and remind all to monitor for symptoms and get tested.
- All students with known exposure to persons with COVID-19 should follow recommendations listed in Table 2 (Asymptomatic Persons Who are Exposed to Someone with COVID-19) of CDPH's guidance for the general public. If they remain without symptoms, students may continue to take part in all aspects of K–12 schooling including sports and extracurricular activities. As recommended in Table 2, they should wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days and get tested 3–5 days after last exposure.
- Managing COVID-19 Outbreaks (Recommendation):
- Broad disruptions to in-person learning, such as temporary school or classroom closures, due to COVID-19 should remain a last resort and considered only after all available resources have been exhausted, and only after conferring with local health officials.
- Cleaning Facilities (Recommendation):
- The RJUHSD will continue to make the cleaning of classrooms, restrooms and high touch areas a high priority. Facilities will be cleaned on a daily basis. Drinking fountains will be operational and cleaned regularly. RJUHSD has installed water bottle filling stations on all school campuses, students are highly encouraged to make use of these filling stations as a means of decreasing COVID-19 transmission.
Persons Who Should Isolate:
Persons Who Test Positive for COVID-19
Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, previous infection or lack of symptoms.
Recommended Actions
- Stay home (PDF) for at least 5 days after start of symptoms (or after date of first positive test if no symptoms).
- Isolation can end after Day 5 if symptoms are not present or are resolving and a diagnostic specimen* collected on Day 5 or later tests negative.
- If unable to test, choosing not to test, or testing positive on Day 5 (or later), isolation can end after Day 10 if fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
- If fever is present, isolation should be continued until 24 hours after fever resolves.
- If symptoms, other than fever, are not resolving, continue to isolate until symptoms are resolving or until after Day 10. If symptoms are severe, or if the infected person is at high risk of serious disease, or if they have questions concerning care, infected persons should contact their healthcare provider for available treatments.
- Per CDPH masking guidance, infected persons should wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings (see masking section below for additional information).
*Antigen test preferred.
Close Contacts - General Public (No Quarantine)
Asymptomatic Persons Who are Exposed to Someone with COVID-19 (No Quarantine)
Everyone, regardless of vaccination status.
Persons infected within the prior 90 days do not need to be tested, quarantined, or excluded from work unless symptoms develop.
Recommended Actions
- Test within 3-5 days after last exposure.
- Per CDPH masking guidance, close contacts should wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings and when near those at higher risk for severe COVID-19 disease (see masking section below for additional information).
- Strongly encouraged to get vaccinated or boosted.
- If symptoms develop, test and stay home (see earlier section on symptomatic persons), AND
- If test result is positive, follow isolation recommendations above (Table 1).
High Risk Exposures and Settings:
High-Risk Exposures:
Certain exposures may be deemed higher risk for transmission, such as with an intimate partner, in a household with longer periods of exposure, or while performing unmasked activities with increased exertion and/or voice projection or during prolonged close face-face contact (e.g., during contact sports like wrestling, during indoor group singing, during crowded events where cheering occurs like games, concerts or rallies, particularly if indoors). In such cases, exposed persons should be extra vigilant in undertaking recommended mitigation measures.
Similarly, if the close contact is more likely to become infected due to being unvaccinated, immunocompromised, or if they are more likely to transmit the virus to those who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19, they should also take greater care in following recommendations to limit spreading the virus to others during the 10 days following their exposure. These close contacts should get tested and may consider quarantining or self-limiting their exposure to others and are strongly recommended to follow the testing and mitigation measures outlined in this guidance.
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Statement on Timeline for COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements in Schools
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) last week issued the following statement regarding a new implementation timeline for adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations required to attend school.
SACRAMENTO – The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet fully approved COVID-19 vaccines for individuals of all ages within the 7–12 grade span. The State of California announced last October that full approval by the FDA was a precondition to initiating the rulemaking process to add the COVID-19 vaccine to other vaccinations required for in-person school attendance—such as measles, mumps, and rubella—pursuant to California’s Health and Safety Code. 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.
“CDPH strongly encourages all eligible Californians, including children, to be vaccinated against COVID-19,” said California Department of Public Health Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás J. Aragón. “We continue to ensure that our response to the COVID-19 pandemic is driven by the best science and data available. Under the Governor’s SMARTER plan, California is making informed decisions on how to further protect students and staff, to keep children safely in classrooms.”
Upon full approval by the FDA, CDPH will consider the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians prior to implementing a school vaccine requirement.
CDPH continues to emphasize and conduct outreach regarding the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine; support youth vaccination campaigns and school-located vaccination programs; and strongly encourage all eligible Californians, including eligible children, to get vaccinated.
Please visit myturn.ca.gov or call (833) 422-4255 to make your vaccine or booster appointment today.”
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COVID Update
January 14, 2022
RJUHSD Families:
We made it through the first week of the new semester, we are so glad to have the students back on our campuses!
The state has provided all school districts with N-95 masks. We have received our shipment of masks and will make these masks available for all students who are interested. The current shipment allows for three (3) N-95 masks per student. Please remember, N95 masks are labeled as "single-use," disposable devices. If your mask is damaged or soiled, or if breathing becomes difficult, you should remove the mask, discard it, and replace it with a new one.
Students are not required to take or wear these masks, they are offered as an option for those who are interested. Masks will be available in the quad at your student’s school, each day during lunch for pick up. In addition to picking up masks in the quad next week during lunch, students can always visit their school administrative office and request additional N-95 masks. We hope this resource helps those students who choose to use it.
People with chronic respiratory, cardiac, or other medical conditions that make breathing difficult should check with their health care provider before using an N95 mask because the N95 mask can make it more difficult for the wearer to breathe.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out and I will be glad to assist.
Respectfully,
Rob Hasty
Executive Director of Human Resources
Roseville Joint Union High School District
916-786-2051
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Updated COVID-19 Safety Guidelines
The Roseville Joint Union High School District continues to evaluate and monitor the impacts of COVID-19 and the implementation of evolving mitigation strategies. With low case rates across our campuses and to ensure we limit any restriction to learning in-person, we are providing new guidance for students experiencing illness, close contact exposure, and testing. We appreciate your patience as we progress through the challenges presented by COVID-19 and intend this update to further support our students’ academic success.
ROSEVILLE JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
Updated COVID-19 Safety Guidelines
(Positive Cases, Close Contacts, and Testing)
Recommendations for staying home when sick with symptoms similar to COVID-19 :
- Students/families should self-screen for signs or symptoms of COVID-19 prior to coming to school each day.
- If students or staff exhibit signs or symptoms of COVID-19, it is advised that they not return for in-person instruction until they have met the below criteria to return to school:
- At least 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications; and
- Other symptoms have improved; OR
- They have a negative test for SARS-CoV-2, or
- A healthcare provider has provided documentation that the symptoms are typical of their underlying chronic condition, or
- Has confirmed an alternative named diagnosis (e.g., Streptococcal pharyngitis, Coxsackie virus)
If a student is a close contact:
- Parents will be notified
- Remain at school and self-monitor for symptoms
- If symptoms develop after exposure, contact your healthcare provider or school nurse
o Remain at home and self-monitor
o Recommend a SARS-CoV-2 Test
o If not positive with COVID-19 or symptoms are from an underlying condition, a student may return after 24 hours without a fever and other symptoms have improved.
If a student is diagnosed with COVID-19:
- Immediately Isolate at home and do not come to school
- Contact your healthcare provider or school nurse
- Can return to school if the following criteria are met:
- At least 10 days have passed since symptom onset; AND
- At least 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications; AND
- Other symptoms have improved
Testing Options (Not Required):
- While all district staff are required to be fully vaccinated or undergo weekly testing, students are NOT required to undergo any testing. Testing is NOT required of district students for daily attendance, participation in extracurricular activities, or any school based activities.
- Testing is available at all school sites throughout the week as an option for those choosing to take advantage of testing options. Both standard lower nasal swab PCR testing and saliva based PCR testing is available.
Updated on 12-01-21
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Good Hygiene
