OPUSD remains committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students! We follow regular cleaning and disinfection procedures, promote frequent hand washing, encourage staff and students who are ill to stay home, strongly recommend indoor masking for students and staff, and other proven COVID-19 prevention strategies. OPUSD will continue to follow the latest health and safety guidance, which will largely depend on the recommendations of the county and state health and safety experts. As a reminder, CDPH and VCPH dictate the health requirements that schools must follow. The health and safety protocols follow the guidance provided by CDPH for the 2022-2023 school year (CDPH released on June 30, 2022).

This guidance is intended to support safe, in-person learning in K-12 schools and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Disease management strategies in K-12 schools are guided by the principle that safe, in-person learning is critical to student well-being and development.

COVID-19 is here to stay, but we have learned methods and gained tools to decrease its impact on our health and well-being. California's schools can manage this disease in sustainable and adaptive manners. In alignment with the state's SMARTER plan, California will continue to provide resources—including COVID-19 tests and personal protective equipment—to support these goals and prevent broad disruption to in-person learning.

Additionally, many of the strategies used to address COVID-19 can protect school communities from other diseases and support healthy learning environments. In alignment with the CDC, California schools should consider the approaches described below as potential methods to also safeguard students and staff from other airborne pathogens, allergens, and pollutants (e.g., wildfire smoke).

The guidance is based on current scientific knowledge and anticipated trends. It is subject to change, as COVID-19 conditions can shift rapidly, and our response in schools must remain nimble and responsive to dynamic challenges.

OPUSD COVID-19 NOTIFICATIONS

NOTIFICATION PROCESS FOR IN-SCHOOL EXPOSURE

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

  • Notification will occur to "groups" of exposed students (e.g., classmates, teammates, cohorts, Club Oak Park Cohorts etc.).

  • This “group tracing” approach is a departure from the previous practice of identifying individual school-based close contacts.

  • These “group notifications” will be provided to all individuals considered exposed, including those who are vaccinated and/or recently infected.

  • At middle and high school we are notifying each of the classes where the student who tested positive was last on campus. Some classes may receive multiple notifications of different exposure dates in one day.

  • Notifications will include specific details for possibly exposed students about recommended testing and other pertinent information.

  • It is recommended that potentially exposed students, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status or prior infection, get tested for COVID-19 with at least one diagnostic test obtained within 1-2 days after the last exposure. Subsequent testing is also recommended on day 5 after exposure.

• If exposed to COVID, your child may remain in school unless they develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19. If your child develops symptoms please have them stay home and get tested right away.

• Being potentially exposed to somebody with COVID-19 does not necessarily mean that your child will become infected. The multi-layered approach to COVID-19 mitigation has effectively curbed in-school transmission to date. These other layers – such as receiving COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, wearing high-quality well-fitting masks, staying home and testing if symptomatic, and improving indoor air quality – remain crucial to school-based mitigation efforts.

SCHOOL-WIDE NOTIFICATIONS/DASHBOARD

• Only the parents of students in an exposed group (i.e. classroom) will receive a targeted notification.

• School principals will no longer send school-wide notifications with each new positive case.

• In order to keep families updated with the latest numbers, we share information about positive cases on an ongoing basis via our COVID-19 Dashboard, which is updated every evening. Here you will find information about daily cases by school and grade level.