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Our schools, youth programs and education sites are critical components of our communities and have tremendous impact on the health, well-being, growth, and development of students and families in Los Angeles County. This toolkit serves as a resource to prepare for, prevent, and respond to respiratory illness in education settings including:
This toolkit provides an overview of important requirements and recommendations, tools, and reporting information. For more details about the recommendations please visit LAC DPH COVID-19 and Acute Respiratory Illness Guidelines for Education Settings.
Education settings must investigate and manage any COVID-19 cases identified at the site. Current State laws mandate the exclusion of anyone with a communicable disease that poses a risk to others. Individuals are responsible for adhering to LACDPH Instructions for COVID-19 Cases and Close Contacts, and education settings are responsible for developing policies that adhere to these guidelines. As employers, education settings should also refer to the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations for workplace requirements. For the complete education guidance, please see LACDPH COVID-19 and Acute Respiratory Illness Guidelines for Education Settings.
People with symptoms of possible acute respiratory infection should wear a mask, stay home and away from others, and test for COVID-19. Those who test negative using an antigen test but continue having COVID-19 symptoms should continue to isolate and test again 48 hours later. Consult LACDPH Symptom Guidance for Schools for additional recommendations.
Staff and students with a COVID-19 infection or a known exposure need to adhere to LAC DPH Instructions for COVID-19 Cases and Close Contacts.
Parents should immediately inform the site when a student tests positive for COVID-19 and was on site while infectious. When sites are notified of a COVID-19 exposure on site, it is strongly recommended that they notify students who were exposed and provide them with instruction for close contacts (above). If an individual with COVID-19 participated in any games, performances, tournaments, competitions, or other site-related activities involving other sites while symptomatic, it is strongly recommended that the CD liaison notify the impacted site(s). Sites are required to notify employees if they have been exposed to a known COVID-19 case in the workplace during the case’s infectious period per Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations.
If LACDPH determines that outbreak criteria have been met, a Public Health Outbreak Investigator will contact the site to coordinate an Outbreak Investigation. During the Outbreak, the site must comply with additional requirements issued by LACDPH. The site is also responsible for complying with regulations outlined per Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations.
Per the LA County Health Officer Order, Education Settings are required to notify DPH within 24 hours when either of the following criteria are met:
For additional information about ARI and COVID-19 reporting, visit publichealth.lacounty.gov/covidreporting or contact communityoutbreak@ph.lacounty.gov. Information about reporting clusters of other communicable diseases can be found at publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/schools.
Education settings should implement multiple layers of disease prevention strategies to reduce risk and limit transmission at the site. Please see the information below for a variety of resources and tools that schools can use to assist in developing layered strategies.
Vaccines protect us from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying from COVID-19, flu, and other serious diseases.
Increasing ventilation and improving air quality and filtration are highly effective ways to reduce transmission of COVID-19 and other viruses through the air. Make sure your site's HVAC system is in good working order and frequently inspected. Consider other ways to improve ventilation including adding portable high-efficiency air filters, opening windows and doors to increase fresh outdoor air, and moving activities outdoors as weather and air quality allow.
Ensuring students and employees have access to testing when symptomatic or exposed is important to prevent spread of COVID-19. A healthcare provider can also test for influenza or RSV. Testing is critical to ensure that sick individuals receive the correct treatment.
Wearing a mask can help reduce the spread of respiratory infections and are a critical tool for disease prevention in Education Settings. Children under 2 should not wear a mask.
Regularly cleaning surfaces helps prevent the spread of germs that make people sick. Facilities should regularly clean frequently touched surfaces and objects such as door handles, desks, and shared classroom toys.
Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.
