Principle 3: Testing and Tracing

Likely Implementation Level DISTRICT

Key Recommendations for Consideration

• Develop communication strategy between school districts and local health departments to facilitate COVID-19-related decision-making.

• Jointly develop a testing resource referral list to share with symptomatic or potentially exposed children and adults.

• Clarify point persons in schools and health departments to facilitate contact tracing.

• Jointly develop tiered plan for school closure (e.g., classroom, school, district), based on number of COVID-19 cases in school.

• Identify school staff to assist in contact tracing and answering family/staff questions related to testing and quarantine.

Considerations and Questions for Team Decision-Making and Reflection

• Are there existing relationships with the local health department that can be leveraged to address COVID-19-related decision-making?

• Will a single school closure plan work for the district? Or will different schools require different plans?

Likely Implementation Level DISTRICT

Key Recommendations for Consideration

• Confirm protocol for informing and collaborating with local public health authorities (town, county, or state) to facilitate contact tracing, including those in close contact for at least 15 minutes (typically the entire classroom).

• Collaborate with the local health department to define parameters for classroom or school closure due to a positive case or cases.

• Develop communication plan for staff, parents/caregivers, and community when a positive case is identified (who, when, why?), including privacy policies regarding disclosure of COVD-19 status.

• Collaborate with local public health authority to define a timeline for return to school for positive cases (e.g., 10 to 14 days) and consider a protocol for symptomatic individuals who test negative.

Considerations and Questions for Team Decision-Making and Reflection

• What has worked best for communication with families and students in the district to date?

Likely Implementation Level DISTRICT

Key Recommendations for Consideration

• With the local department of health, identify local accessible and affordable testing options for children and adults to be tested for COVID-19 in the event of symptoms or exposure to people with COVID-19.

• Provide education and a testing referral to the family of any student/staff who tests positive.

• Confirm reporting and feedback mechanism for students/staff with positive testing results.

• Develop a communication plan (mail, email, text, virtual meetings, website) to share testing options, reporting, and feedback mechanism with district families, staff, and exposed students

Considerations and Questions for Team Decision-Making and Reflection

• How will we connect families and staff to options for established state and local testing options and protocols?

• What confidentiality considerations should be taken into account, given the need to share information but also protect privacy of staff and students?