Staying home when sick is one of the most effective ways to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Both symptom screening and testing are strategies used to identify individuals with COVID-19. The CDC Interim Considerations for K-12 School Administrators for SARS-CoV-2 Testing provides additional information on types of testing and outlines scenarios for when students may need testing. This information may be used in conjunction with the attendance considerations below as a framework to inform attendance policies and practices.
Pre-K to 12 schools should communicate to everyone in the education community that staff and children should not come to school and to notify school officials if they become sick with COVID-19 symptoms test positive for COVID-19, or are exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms or to someone with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19.
School staff and families may benefit from using the DOH Symptom Screening Tool.
Adopt flexible attendance and sick leave policies for students and staff.
Instruct parents to keep children at home if they are ill.
Any student or staff with a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher or the symptoms of possible COVID-19 infection should not be in school. (See Symptom Screening Tool.)
Provide school staff with necessary equipment to measure temperatures for any student or staff who may become ill during the school day.
Work with school administrators, nurses, and other health care providers to identify an isolation room or area to separate anyone who develops the symptoms of COVID-19 while on school premises. (See Symptom Screening Tool.)
Provide ongoing education and communication to staff, parents/guardians and students about signs and symptoms of COVID-19, and the importance of staying home if sick. See the CDC Symptoms Fact Sheet and CDC Prevent Spread of COVID-19
Require students and parents/guardians/caregivers to perform a symptom screening prior to arriving at school or at the bus stop each day. (See Symptom Screening Tool.)
Guiding Questions
How will you monitor students, staff and others who interact with each other to ensure they are healthy and not exhibiting signs of illness?
Where will the monitoring take place?
When and how frequently will the monitoring take place?
When and how will families be notified of confirmed staff or student illness or exposure and resulting changes to the local Health and Safety Plan?
Which stakeholders will be trained on protocols for monitoring student and staff health? When and how will the training be provided? How will preparedness to implement as a result of the training be measured?
PDE Health and Safety Plan Requirements
Plan must include the following:
Processes for monitoring students and staff for symptoms and history of exposure.
PDE Considerations
Check for signs and symptoms of students and employees daily upon arrival.
Conduct routine, daily health checks (e.g., temperature and symptom screening) which include checks for history of exposure.
Consider a process to address privacy concerns of monitoring practices and the potential stigma associated with monitoring and confirmed exposure or cases.
Develop a system for home/self-screening and reporting procedures.
Encourage staff to stay home if they are sick and encourage parents to keep sick children home.
Adopt flexible attendance policies for students and staff.
NEPA Task Force Considerations
Encourage staff to stay home if they are sick and encourage parents to keep sick children home.
Plan for when a staff member, child, or visitor becomes sick.
Work with school administrators, nurses, and other healthcare providers to identify an isolation room or area to separate anyone who exhibits COVID-like symptoms.
Establish procedures for safely transporting anyone sick home or to a healthcare facility.
Notify local health officials, staff, and families immediately of a possible case while maintaining confidentiality.
Close off areas used by a sick person and do not use before cleaning and disinfection.
Advise sick staff members and children not to return until they have met CDC criteria to discontinue home isolation.
Inform those who have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay home and self-monitor for symptoms and to follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop. If a person does not have symptoms follow appropriate CDC guidance for home isolation.
Monitor staff absenteeism and have a roster of trained back-up staff.
Monitor health clinic traffic. School nurses and other healthcare providers play an important role in monitoring health clinic traffic and the types of illnesses and symptoms among students.
Designate a staff person to be responsible for responding to COVID-19 concerns. Employees should know who this person is and how to contact them.
Create a communication system for staff and families for self-reporting of symptoms and notification of exposures and closures.
Support coping and resilience among employees and children.
Closing of Buildings after Re-Entry
In the event a person diagnosed with COVID-19 is determined to have been in the building and poses a risk to the community, programs may consider closing for a short time (1-2 days) for cleaning and disinfection.