TK-12 Schools

• Protocol for organized youth sports (updated 3/11/22)
  The Protocol for Organized Youth Sports: Appendix S is part of the LAC Health Officer Order. Click here for additional languages.

Requirements for Reporting Cases at Your School
Schools are required to notify LAC Department of Public Health (DPH) of students, staff, and visitors with confirmed COVID-19 who were on campus at any point within the 14 days prior to their illness onset date. The illness onset date is the date COVID-19 symptoms started, or the COVID-19 test date, whichever is earlier. All case notifications should be submitted to DPH within 1 business day of the school being notified of the case. To complete this reporting requirement, the school must use one of the reporting methods described below.

• Online reporting: All school-associated COVID-19 cases should be reported online through the secure web application, Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracing (SPOT). This can be done on a computer or mobile device.
  • If reporting multiple cases, use the “Bulk Upload Template” (an Excel file) located within the SPOT Portal to submit your report.
• Resources for how to report COVID-19 cases and close contacts through SPOT:
  • This data dictionary (Español) (updated 5/1/22) describes each of the items of information (variables) that are collected as part of case reporting when using the Excel line list.
  • This training video (under revision) walks you through the process of submitting an online report for COVID-19 cases and contacts at your Institution. This training video describes how to submit the “Bulk Upload” report when reporting multiple cases.
  • Update: The SPOT Portal was updated on July 20, 2022 with enhancements designed to streamline the COVID-19 case reporting process and allow for more flexibility for SPOT liaisons. Specific details regarding these enhancements to SPOT are listed on this one-page summary and highlighted in this SPOT 2.0 Demo Video.
  • A recording of the introductory session for school/ECE liaisons is available here. The accompanying slides are located here.
  • This FAQ provides answers to commonly asked questions as well as additional links to training materials and resources.

Instructions for Cases and Close Contacts

• Flow charts (PDF) (updated 8/8/22)

  Flow charts for schools that provide guidance on actions for those in isolation and those identified as close contact.

Notifying Staff, Students, and Families of Actions to Take for Isolation and Close Contacts
Schools are required to notify all children, students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 with the actions to take for isolation. Children, students, and staff who had an exposure to a person with COVID-19 during their infectious period while at the facility, or close contacts, must also be notified with the actions to take. The notification letter templates can be adapted by schools for these notifications.

• Exposure Notification Letter Templates
  • Isolation Notification Letter: Notification letter for staff, students and their families who need to isolate due to a positive COVID-19 viral test result.
  • Exposure Notification Letters: Educational sites providing activities and services for children, students, and staff are required to notify all children, students and staff who had an exposure or potential exposure to a person with COVID-19 during their infectious period while at the site.
  • General Exposure Notification Letter: Educational sites providing activities and services for children, students, and staff may choose to notify the general community of an exposure that has occurred at the site and make the community aware of precautions to take to prevent spread.
English: For TK-12 schools (updated 8/8/22) | For Youth Sports Programs (updated 8/19/22)
Spanish: For TK-12 Schools

Youth Recreational Sports Programs
If an individual with confirmed COVID-19 participated during their infectious period in any games, tournaments, or other Youth Recreational Sports Program-related activities involving other teams, the Youth Recreational Sports Program Compliance Officer is required to notify members of their own team AND notify the opposing team(s) of potential exposure. Compliance officers for all affected teams must work collaboratively to identify any individuals who meet the criteria for having been exposed. (Use the Youth Sports Programs Exposure Notification Letter document above to access the appropriate template for your team and the opposing team.)

• Exposure notice to make people aware that they may have recently been exposed to COVID-19 if they visited a location.

• COVID-19 Testing Resources for Children (updated 9/2/22)—For information and locations that test children. Español | 简体中文 | 繁體中文 | العربية | հայերեն | អក្សរខ្មែរ | 日本語 | 한국어 | Русский | Tiếng Việt | فارسى | Tagalog

• Masks
  • Follow current State and Local Guidance for Masks. See DPH Reopening Protocols for TK-12 Schools and the current LAC Health Officer Order for updates on masking requirements and recommendations for schools.
  • Information for the public on how to use masks: Webpage: ph.lacounty.gov/masks (or ph.lacounty.gov/mascarillas Spanish)—PDFs: English (updated 3/4/22) | Spanish | 简体中文 | 繁體中文 | العربية | հայերեն | អក្សរខ្មែរ | 日本語 | 한국어 | Русский | Tiếng Việt | فارسى | Tagalog

• Travel
  DPH Travel Advisory and Guidance—Recommendations and requirements for domestic and international travel.