On January 12, 2022, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) updated the COVID‑19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools with the following recommendations for managing students exposed to COVID-19 in a K-12 setting, as follows:

COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K–12 Schools in California, 2021-22 School Year

**Note: K-12 Schools may consider following Quarantine Recommendations below (Sections 7-9 have been updated) or the Group-Tracing Approach to Students Exposed to COVID-19 in a K-12 setting

7. Quarantine recommendations for student close contacts who have completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines OR were previously infected with (laboratory confirmed) SARS-CoV-2 within the last 90 days:

a. Quarantine is NOT recommended. Students without symptoms may remain in school and participate in all school activities. If symptoms develop, they should test and stay home; OR

b. Schools may follow the recommendations provided in the Group-Tracing Approach to Students Exposed to COVID-19 in a K-12 setting.

8. Quarantine recommendations for student close contacts who have NOT completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines NOR were previously infected with (laboratory confirmed) SARS-CoV-2 within the last 90 days for exposures when both parties were wearing a mask, as required in K-12 indoor settings. These are adapted from the CDC K-12 guidance and CDC definition of a close contact. See the K-12 Schools Guidance 2021-2022 Questions & Answers for additional recommendations to focus on high-value contact tracing to protect students and staff.

a. When both parties were wearing a mask in any school setting in which students are supervised by school staff (including indoor or outdoor school settings and school buses, including on buses operated by public and private school systems), student close contacts (more than 15 minutes over a 24-hour period within 0-6 feet) may undergo a modified quarantine as follows. They may continue to attend school for in-person instruction if they:

i. Are asymptomatic;

ii. Continue to appropriately mask, as required;

iii. Undergo at least twice weekly testing during quarantine; and

iv. Continue to quarantine for all extracurricular activities at school, including sports, and activities within the community setting; OR

b. Schools may follow the recommendations provided in the Group-Tracing Approach to Students Exposed to COVID-19 in a K-12 setting.

9. Quarantine duration recommendations for student close contacts who have NOT completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines NOR were previously infected with (laboratory confirmed) SARS-CoV-2 within the last 90 days in:

• Standard quarantine (i.e., students who were not wearing masks or for whom the infected individual was not wearing a mask during the exposure); OR
• Modified quarantine (i.e., students as described in #8 above).

a. Quarantine can end after day 5 if symptoms are not present and a diagnostic specimen collected on day 5 or later tests negative. If unable to test or choosing not to test, and symptoms are not present, quarantine can end after day 10; OR

b. Schools may follow the recommendations provided in the Group-Tracing Approach to Students Exposed to COVID-19 in a K-12 setting.

Group-Tracing Approach to Students Exposed to COVID-19 in a K-12 Setting

Stricter guidance may be issued by local public health officials or other authorities. In workplaces, employers are subject to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) or in some workplaces the Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Diseases Standard, and should consult those regulations for additional applicable requirements.

Recommendations for students exposed to someone with COVID-19 in a K-12 school:

1. Schools should notify students who spent more than a cumulative total of 15 minutes (within a 24-hour time period) in a shared indoor airspace (e.g., classroom) with someone with COVID-19 during their period of infectiousness.

1. Notification should occur to “groups” of exposed students (e.g., classmates, teammates, cohorts, etc.) rather than contact tracing to identify individual “close contacts” (e.g., those within 6 feet).

2. Notifications should be provided to all individuals considered exposed, including those who are vaccinated and/or recently infected.

1. For example, if a student in tenth grade is diagnosed with COVID-19, the school should notify groups with whom that student interacted as per the criteria above, such as those in the same classes, sports team, and/or other extracurricular cohorts.

3. A sample notification letter is available here for school edit and use.

2. Exposed students, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status or prior infection, should get tested for COVID-19 with at least one diagnostic test obtained within 3-5 days after last exposure.

1. In the event of wide-scale and/or repeated exposures, broader (e.g., grade-wide or campus-wide) once weekly testing for COVID-19 may be considered until such time that exposure events become less frequent.

2. Any FDA-approved antigen diagnostic test, PCR diagnostic test, or pooled PCR test is acceptable for evaluation of an individual’s COVID-19 status. For individuals who have been recently infected (within the past 90 days), antigen testing is strongly recommended as PCR results may remain persistently positive and not be indicative of a new active infection. Repeat antigen testing and/or confirmatory molecular testing should be considered in individuals who receive a negative result with an antigen test but have symptoms specific for COVID-19 (such as loss of taste and smell).

3. Exposed students who participate in testing may continue to take part in all aspects of K-12 schooling, including sports and extracurricular activities, unless they develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19. They should test as recommended in Section (2), report positive test results to the school, and follow other components of this guidance, including wearing face-coverings as directed.

1. Exposed students who develop symptoms should see Section 4 of the K-12 Guidance.

2. Exposed students who receive a positive test result should isolate in accordance with Section 10 of the K-12 Guidance.

4. See the K-12 Schools Guidance 2021-2022 Questions & Answers for additional information.

Materials

All of the updates can also be found on the CA Safe Schools Hub.