TK-12 Schools

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 by accessing SPOT.
  • This online reporting training video walks you through the process of submitting an online report for COVID-19 cases and contacts at your Institution.
  • 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.
• Reporting Multiple Cases: If schools are reporting multiple cases, there is an option available to submit reports using Excel through the “Bulk Upload Template” located within the SPOT Portal.
  • This training video walks you through the process of filling out and submitting the Excel COVID-19 Case and Contact Line List for reporting to DPH via the SPOT portal.
  • This data dictionary describes each of the items of information (variables) that are collected as part of case reporting when using the Excel line list.

Notifying Staff, Students, and Families of a Case or Suspected Case

• Notification Letters For TK-12 schools    For Youth Sports Programs
  • For parents of children who need to isolate due to a positive COVID-19 viral test result.
  • To send to a cohort/group which includes individuals who may have been exposed by a case (or multiple cases) and compliance officers who are unable to confirm who may or may not have been exposed.
  Templates (Español) are available that can be tailored to your facility's needs.
• Educational Sites that serve children, students, and staff:
  1. Are required to notify all children, students and staff who had an exposure while at the facility to a person with COVID-19 during their infectious period. (Use the Exposure Notification Letter).
  2. 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. (Use the General Exposure Notification Letter).
  3. May choose to notify all children, students, and staff who have had an exposure at the facility to a person suspected of having COVID-19. (Use the Suspected-Case Exposure Notification Letter).

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 Multi-team Exposure Notification Letter).

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

Instructions for Cases and Close Contacts

• Flow charts (PDF)

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

• COVID-19 Testing Resources for Children—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.
  • ph.lacounty.gov/masks (or ph.lacounty.gov/mascarillas Spanish)—information for the public on how to use masks. 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.