Jan. 19: COVID-19 Update

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our relentless effort to effectively manage COVID-19 has taught us all to expect change. This week, another guidance update was released due to the Omicron variant surge.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On January 18th the District sent updated information to all families about California Department of Public Health&rsquo;s </span><a href="https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/K-12-Guidance-2021-22-School-Year.aspx?_hsmi=140200600&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8cZEb_WyPukRtJtsx8NMxG__AEFJMzo8KZP53waQeqSnjS6gpxm7iGyAbsQVE6hnFL5yRYJbA0frcDEJvW6lUn0LcHnA"><span style="font-weight: 400;">revised guidance for TK-12 settings</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> which identifies</span><a href="https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Group-Tracing-Approach-to-Students-Exposed-to-COVID-19.aspx"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> alternative approaches to contact tracing and quarantine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. (If you&nbsp; did not receive the notice, please contact your child&rsquo;s school for a copy.)</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Under this update, state and county public health officials tell us that, </span><strong>once-weekly testing may be implemented in lieu of traditional exposure notification and contact tracing</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><strong>Our schools have offered weekly testing on campus since September</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Through our partnership with Grapefruit Testing, the process is streamlined and provides quicker notice of COVID-positive test results for students enrolled in the program. Families who wish to enroll their students in the Grapefruit&rsquo;s testing program will find the consent form </span><a href="https://hipaa.jotform.com/form/212325684164152"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here in English</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a href="https://hipaa.jotform.com/form/212336698243460"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here in Spanish</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our primary aim is to keep schools open for students to attend and learn safely. According to our public health officials, for the majority of children, the risks from COVID-19 infection are outweighed by the known social and mental health harms of remote learning, even during the current Omicron surge.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We remain committed to protecting the health and well-being of our students and staff. We continue to&nbsp; follow safety protocols, including masking and proper ventilation, to further reduce the risk of in-school COVID-19 transmission. We will continue to update our COVID-19 online dashboard and will provide updates to families when guidance from health officials changes.&nbsp; </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the community spread continues, we appreciate your diligence in monitoring your students, keeping them home if they are symptomatic, and having them participate in weekly testing.</span></p>

<p><span>Our relentless effort to effectively manage COVID-19 has taught us all to expect change. This week, another guidance update was released due to the Omicron variant surge.</span></p> <p><span>On January 18th the District sent updated information to all families about California Department of Public Health’s </span><a href="https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/K-12-Guidance-2021-22-School-Year.aspx?_hsmi=140200600&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8cZEb_WyPukRtJtsx8NMxG__AEFJMzo8KZP53waQeqSnjS6gpxm7iGyAbsQVE6hnFL5yRYJbA0frcDEJvW6lUn0LcHnA"><span>revised guidance for TK-12 settings</span></a><span> which identifies</span><a href="https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Group-Tracing-Approach-to-Students-Exposed-to-COVID-19.aspx"><span> alternative approaches to contact tracing and quarantine</span></a><span>. (If you  did not receive the notice, please contact your child’s school for a copy.)</span></p> <p><span>Under this update, state and county public health officials tell us that, </span><strong>once-weekly testing may be implemented in lieu of traditional exposure notification and contact tracing</strong><span>. </span></p> <p><strong>Our schools have offered weekly testing on campus since September</strong><span>. Through our partnership with Grapefruit Testing, the process is streamlined and provides quicker notice of COVID-positive test results for students enrolled in the program. Families who wish to enroll their students in the Grapefruit’s testing program will find the consent form </span><a href="https://hipaa.jotform.com/form/212325684164152"><span>here in English</span></a><span>, and </span><a href="https://hipaa.jotform.com/form/212336698243460"><span>here in Spanish</span></a><span>. </span></p> <p><span>Our primary aim is to keep schools open for students to attend and learn safely. According to our public health officials, for the majority of children, the risks from COVID-19 infection are outweighed by the known social and mental health harms of remote learning, even during the current Omicron surge.</span></p> <p><span>We remain committed to protecting the health and well-being of our students and staff. We continue to  follow safety protocols, including masking and proper ventilation, to further reduce the risk of in-school COVID-19 transmission. We will continue to update our COVID-19 online dashboard and will provide updates to families when guidance from health officials changes.  </span></p> <p><span>While the community spread continues, we appreciate your diligence in monitoring your students, keeping them home if they are symptomatic, and having them participate in weekly testing.</span></p>