Today, Governor Newsom announced the launch of the Safe Schools for All Hub and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released updated COVID-19 and reopening in-person instruction guidance. Under the updated guidance, all local education agencies (LEAs) must complete and post to their website a COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP) prior to reopening for in-person instruction. For LEAs that are currently offering in-person instruction, they must post their CSP on their website by February 1, 2021.

The CSP consists of the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Program (CPP) and the COVID-19 School Guidance Checklist. The new criteria and requirements replace the Elementary Education Waiver that was issued on August 3, 2020, but all waivers approved prior to January 14, 2021 remain in effect.

In the development of the CSP and prior to posting online, LEAs are strongly recommended to consult with labor, parent, and community organizations. The COVID-19 School Guidance Checklist requires that the LEA provide evidence of consultation with labor, parent, and community organizations. The LEA must sign an attestation confirming the names and dates that the organizations and/or school staff (if staff are not represented by a labor organization) were consulted.

The email to submit the CSP to the State Safe Schools for All Team is k12csp@cdph.ca.gov.

Beginning January 25, 2021, every LEA and private school in California shall notify CDPH whether it is serving students in person, as follows:

  • In-person instruction is provided full-time, including whether provided for all grades served by the local educational agency or private school or only certain grade spans.
  • In-person instruction is provided only part-time (hybrid model), including whether provided for all grades served by the local educational agency or private school or only certain grade spans.
  • In-person instruction and services are provided only pursuant to the Guidance Related to Cohorts issued by the California Department of Public Health.
  • No in-person instruction and services are provided (distance learning only).

This reporting shall continue every other Monday (or the Tuesday immediately following, if the Monday is a state holiday) until this directive is modified or rescinded. This information shall be reported via a web form that will be made available by the California Department of Public Health.

The California Department of Public Health will provide this information to local health officers and, once the information is processed, will make this information publicly available on the Safe Schools For All Hub website.

Reopening Criteria

For a school that is not offering in-person instruction and is in a county in the Widespread (Purple) Tier, the county must be in the Substantive (Red) Tier for 5 consecutive days before the school may open for in-person instruction.

For a school that had already reopened for in-person instruction and is in a county that is in the Widespread (Purple) Tier, the LEA must post the CSP publicly on its website by February 1, 2021.

For school districts serving kindergarten through grade 6 and have not offered in-person instruction, the LEA may provide in-person instruction if it submits its CSP to its local health department (LHD) and the State Safe Schools for All Team and does not receive notification of a finding that the CSP is deficit within seven business days of submission, and posts the CSP on its website.

LHD and the State Safe Schools for All Team have seven business days to provide feedback to the LEA regarding deficiencies in the CSP, and the LEA will respond to the feedback and re-submit its plan prior to reopening. The LEA may provide in-person instruction on the eighth business day after submission of its plan if it has not received feedback.

Table 1. School reopening actions for in-person instruction, by Tier

 

Yellow

CR <1.0*

TP<2%

Orange

CR 1-3.9*

TP 2-4.9%

Red

CR 4-7*

TP 5-8%

Purple

CR >7*

TP >8%
 

CSP posted publicly for kindergarten – Grade 12, 5 days prior to in-person instruction

  

CSP posted publicly for kindergarten – Grade 12, 5 days prior to in-person instruction

  

CSP posted publicly for kindergarten – Grade 12, 5 days prior to in-person instruction

 

Must be in Red Tier 5 days prior to reopening

  

Already reopened: CSP posted publicly by February 1, 2021

 

Not previously open:

  • CSP posted publicly for kindergarten – grade 6, and submitted concurrently to LHD and State Safe Schools for All Team
  • 7 business days for review
  • Grade 7th-12th reopening not permitted if CR > 7*
  • Kindergarten – grade 6 reopening not permitted if CR > 25*, though CSP can be posted and submitted for review
  • Note: Targeted in-person instruction may be offered pursuant to the Cohort Guidance

 

Source: CDPH COVID-19 Guidance, page 12

*Adjusted case rate

While not required, LEAs are strongly encouraged to post on their website, along with the CSP, the detailed plan describing how they will meet the requirements outlined in the CSP elements. This can provide transparency to school community members making decisions about participation in in-person learning.

Face Coverings

The guidance states that students in grade levels K-12 are required to wear face coverings at all times, while at school, unless exempted, and to only be removed during meals, snacks, naptime, or when it needs to be replaced.

For staff who come into routine contact with others, CDPH recommends the use of disposable 3-ply surgical masks, which are more effective than cloth face coverings. In situations where a face covering cannot be used, a face shield with a drape can be used instead as long as physical distance from others is maintained.

Testing & Vaccines

The table below outlines the circumstances and considerations for testing implementation in K-12 schools.

Table 3. Testing Cadences with Support from the State of California for K-12 Schools

 

Yellow

CR <1.0*

TP<2%

Orange

CR 1-3.9*

TP 2-4.9%

Red

CR 4-7*

TP 5-8%

Purple

CR >7*

TP >8%

CR >14
Staff Symptomatic and response testing Symptomatic and response testing Symptomatic and response testing + every 2 weeks asymptomatic testing Symptomatic and response testing + every 2 weeks asymptomatic testing Symptomatic and response testing + weekly asymptomatic (PCR or twice weekly antigen testing)

 
Students Symptomatic and response testing Symptomatic and response testing Symptomatic and response testing + every 2 weeks asymptomatic testing Symptomatic and response testing + every 2 weeks asymptomatic testing Symptomatic and response testing + weekly asymptomatic (PCR or twice weekly antigen testing)

Source: CDPH COVID-19 Guidance, pages 39-40

TP= test positivity

*The case rates above are adjusted case rates.

**Weekly asymptomatic testing assumes the use of a PCR test. If antigen testing is used, testing should be at a twice weekly cadence.

Students or staff who have tested positive for active infection with SARS-COV-2 virus within the last 90 days are exempt from asymptomatic testing.

Any school currently open is subject to the minimum testing requirement standards established by Cal/OSHA. These standards include response testing for exposed cases and outbreak testing for everyone weekly until no longer considered an outbreak. Please refer to the Cal/OSHA guidance for complete details.

In a separate document, CDPH states that student testing includes the option of supervised self-collection for students in any grades, which has demonstrated feasibility and acceptability even in the youngest groups. California state law provides that minors 13 years and older can consent to diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. For students under 13 years of age, the parent or guardian must provide consent and use their email/phone to obtain results.

Age Range

Consent

Result Reporting

<13

 Parental consent required Parent only

13-17

 Parental consent possible, but not necessary Student by default, parent can be added

>=18

 No parental consent required Student only

Source: CDPH Testing Considerations for LEAs and School Communities, page 5

Since the vaccine implementation for schools is evolving, the state will provide a separate vaccine guidance document on the Safe Schools for All Hub.

Materials