South Pasadena Unified School District

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Updates » SPUSD COVID-19 Update - January 21, 2022

SPUSD COVID-19 Update - January 21, 2022

Dear SPUSD Families,
 
We are happy to report that we are starting to see coronavirus transmission rates flatten in California. Thank you to the entire SPUSD community of students, parents, teachers, staff, and administrators for your continued partnership and commitment to the health and safety protocols. 
 
Following is some recent, updated information about SPUSD test distribution and changes to the health order from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH).
 
Test Distribution/Reporting
SPUSD purchased rapid antigen tests to be distributed to all employees and students in grades TK-12. You should receive tests next Monday (elementary schools) or Tuesday (SPMS & SPHS). Tests will be coming home with your children. Continue to follow a five-day testing schedule—testing on January 22 and again with new tests on January 27 and February 1. If your child has symptoms, do not send them to school and test right away.
 
Please promptly report a positive COVID-19 case, a COVID-19 exposure, or symptoms possibly related to COVID-19 using this online system.
 
LACDPH Health Order Changes
LACDPH announced the following health order changes this week. We have been making these adjustments, which allow healthy students and employees to remain in school. The main differences are summarized below and the LACDPH School Quarantine Flow Chart has been posted on our website.
 
LACDPH has implemented a “Surge Protocol,” which it defines as “Temporary measures that may be implemented to address the volume of cases and contacts due to significant COVID-19 surges and includes considerations for simplifying case identification and exposure management.” A summary of the new order is as follows:
  • Contact tracing has been simplified to “Group Notifications.” Examples of “groups” would be classmates or teammates.
  • Changes in quarantine and testing requirements for students and staff based upon vaccination status or recovery from a positive COVID-19 test in the past 90 days.
  • Students are now considered “fully vaccinated” and do not need to quarantine and miss school if it has been two weeks since their second dose and they do not have symptoms. A booster shot is no longer required to be considered “fully vaccinated” for people under 18 years of age.
  • Healthy, asymptomatic students, regardless of vaccination status, will no longer be required to quarantine after a school-based exposure.
  • Staff and students who tested positive for COVID-19 and have recovered within the last 90 days and are asymptomatic do not need to quarantine or test after exposure.
  • From now through the end of January, schools should prioritize the identification of COVID-19 on campus and the isolation of positive cases.
Parents who have questions about the County protocols and isolation requirements may call the DPH COVID-19 Information Hotline at 833-540-0473.
 
My sincerest thanks for your patience in dealing and complying with the testing and health protocols during the Omicron surge in order to keep our schools open and our students and employees healthy and safe. 
 
Regards,
 
Geoff Yantz, Ed.D.
Superintendent