COVID Safety Plan

We are excited and prepared for our students to safely learn together for the 2021-22 school year.

California has new COVID-19 safety measures for the 2021-21 school year to get students back into school classrooms for safe, in-person learning. Mask-wearing by all students and staff and vaccinations by everyone in the community are key to a safe school environment.

The California Department of Public Health‘s (CDPH) guidance is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations to help K-12 schools prepare for safe in-person classes for the 2021-22 school year. These strategies include vaccines, mask-wearing, ventilation (airflow in classrooms), hand-washing, and cleaning.

Research shows that in-person classes can happen safely without spacing requirements when other prevention strategies, like wearing masks, are used. Wearing a mask is one of the most effective and simplest ways to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in schools. And, mask wearing allows children to get in classrooms learning directly from teachers.

Here is what High Tech High schools do to keep their students and teachers safe from COVID-19:

COVID-19 Testing

All students and staff must submit a negative COVID-19 test result (PCR or antigen) before the start of school on Monday, August 30th. The test result should be dated between August 16th and August 30th. Testing can be done on your own at one of the available testing sites in our region, or on-site at your students’ school location. Your school will provide on-site antigen testing, so please look out for a message from your school with more information on dates and times. We will provide additional details about on-site testing soon. We encourage families to submit their students’ negative test results and vaccine status for students over the age of 12, here.

Per the governor’s order, all staff must also submit proof of vaccination by October 15 or participate in weekly COVID-19 testing. We will be providing ongoing, on-site testing of staff and students to monitor the spread of COVID-19 within our schools. You will receive additional information on how to submit your student’s test results and register for voluntary testing before the first day of school.

Face Masks

All adults and K-12 students, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, are required to wear masks indoors. Please refer to the CDC guidance for an overview of acceptable masks for in-person learning. The use of face coverings in indoor spaces will help prevent the spread of COVID-19, and its variants, on our campuses.

Elementary school students are required to wear masks outdoors, except when seated during snack and lunch breaks. Middle and High school students are strongly encouraged to wear a mask outdoors, and we recommend that unmasked students and staff maintain social distancing guidelines.

We also encourage staff and students to wear a face shield in addition to a mask, but not in place of one.

Vaccination

Medical experts have shared that vaccination is the single best way to protect yourself, your family, and our community from serious illness, including the Delta variant. Vaccination is not mandatory for students at this time, but they are available, for free, for everyone 12 years and older. You can also get the latest information, and find out where to get vaccinated, at the CDC website. Per the Governor’s recent order, all K-12 staff will be required to show proof of vaccination by October 15, and staff members who are unvaccinated will participate in weekly COVID-19 testing.

Cleaning & Sanitation

We will encourage all staff and students to regularly wash or sanitize their hands during the school day. Additionally, high-touch surfaces will be regularly cleaned throughout the day. Each school has a decontamination unit to do a deep clean of the classrooms in the event of an outbreak.

Ventilation

All High Tech High buildings will follow CDC guidance related to ventilation recommendations, including maximizing ventilation rates, opening windows or using air conditioners to increase air circulation and keeping classroom doors open when possible. Our air conditioning systems were updated to MERV-13 in the spring, and they continue to be serviced and maintained.

Visitors to Campus

We are limiting all parents and family members inside our schools at this time. Unless they have a pre-existing appointment, families will be told to wait outside as much as possible. Everyone will be required to wear masks indoors, no matter the length of time they are in the school.