COVID Quarantine and Testing

Will students and staff be tested for COVID at school?

MVWSD is partnering with Concentric for simple, pooled COVID-19 testing weekly for students and rapid antigen tests for staff members via nose swab. Knowing the specific prevalence of COVID-19 in our school allows us to make informed decisions about safeguarding our school community and continuing in-person learning. Specifics about this program will be sent to parents and staff members.



Will I know if there is a case at school?

The MVWSD COVID-19 Dashboard is always available for viewing and is updated each time we have new data. 


Parents of students and staff members who are identified as a positive case are notified right away. If you do not receive a letter, you have not been identified as a close contact of a positive individual during their infectious period. 


Please monitor yourself and your child for symptoms and stay home if you are sick. Please contact your healthcare provider if you develop symptoms or if you have any additional questions or concerns.


How many cases are in MVWSD?

The MVWSD COVID-19 Dashboard is always available for viewing and is updated each time we have new data.


How do you define close contact?

A close contact is someone who has been within 0-6 feet of the positive case for more than 15 minutes over a 24-hour period indoors during the two-day period prior to the start of symptoms (or two days before the positive COVID-19 specimen collection date). Typically, these are the children in the positive case's classroom, in addition to any individuals who have been in small groups with the positive case.


Generally, what happens at school after there's a positive COVID case?

   *  The positive individual/parent of the positive individual receives a letter from MVWSD directing a 10-day isolation.


   *  Parents of students and staff members who are identified as "close contacts" receive a letter containing further directions about testing and potential isolation within hours of the case being reported to the District.


  *  The COVID Dashboard is updated. 

What do parents do if it's possible their child might have COVID?

1. Keep your child home if she/he has any symptoms.

2. Call your pediatrician immediately so that your child can be evaluated and get tested for COVID-19. Anyone, vaccinated or not, who develops COVID-like symptoms needs to get tested right away.  If your child does not have a healthcare provider, additional testing resources are available through the Public Health Department at sccfreetest.org. Be sure to let the provider know that your child has symptoms or is a close contact to a confirmed COVID-19 case.

3. If your child's test is negative, he/she may return to school 24 hours after fever ends.

4. If your child's test is positive, immediately email or call your principal with this information as well as the date of the positive test.

5. Follow the current guidelines for isolation. 

How do I get testing for my child and what tests are accepted for return to school?
At school: The Mountain View Whisman School District is partnering with Concentric for simple, pooled COVID-19 testing for students weekly and rapid antigen testing for staff members on campuses. Students who participate may have a modified quarantine and continue to attend school (if requirements are met) if there is a positive test result in the pool - thus reducing time out of school and missed instruction.

Outside of school: For students who are not participating in on-campus COVID testing, negative results from laboratory-based antigen and PCR tests are accepted.

* To search for a County COVID testing site, please click here:
https://covid19.sccgov.org/covid-19-testing.
* To search for a test through El Camino Health, click here: https://www.elcaminohealth.org/covid-19-resource-center/testing-locations

* To search for the once monthly, downtown Mountain View testing bus (
460 Bryant St.) see lhi.care/covidtesting or 888-634-1123. Walk-ups are available as space allows.

* To search other providers, such as drug stores, click here.

What should parents do if their child tests positive for COVID?

The Public Health Department directs that your child isolate at home immediately, even if they don’t have COVID-like symptoms and follow current isolation guidance.

If symptomatic, regardless of vaccination status, your child must stay isolated for at least 5 days (with a negative antigen test) since symptoms began AND at least 24 hours after your fever resolves and your other symptoms improve. 


What steps should we take for other members of the household when someone tests positive for COVID?

All unvaccinated household members of the COVID-19 case must quarantine, monitor for symptoms, and contact their health care providers to schedule testing.  Instructions on how to isolate and quarantine can be found at sccstayhome.org.

Anyone who develops COVID-like symptoms, vaccinated or not, needs to get tested right away. 

What should I do if someone in our house gets COVID? Does my child have to stay home?

If you/your child lives in a household with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, you must monitor the health of everyone in the household during this time to prevent passing infection to anyone else. The infected person should be kept as separate from others in the household as much as possible. Everyone in the house is recommended to wear masks.

 

Instructions on how to isolate and quarantine can be found at sccstayhome.org.

 

Are those absences excused for students who stay home due to a COVID exposure?

Yes

What is the protocol for an MVWSD staff member after getting a close contact letter?

See the current isolation/quarantine guidance at mvwsd.org/returntolearn


What factors trigger the closure of a class?

MVWSD will work with Santa Clara County Public Health to make a decision about whether to close the classroom. Per the California Department of Education, MVWSD is not allowed to provide distance learning for classes temporarily closed for COVID.


Why don't all close contacts have to stay home?

Multiple COVID safeguards are in place, including universal masking and frequent testing to help reduce instructional disruption. Asymptomatic students who are close contacts may continue to attend school for in-person instruction if they participate in on-campus testing.
Those students who do not have a completed consent form will have to be tested outside of MVWSD. In this case, asymptomatic students who are close contacts may return to school after they submit a negative test result(s) as required.


Is there a difference in protocols if the exposed individual was vaccinated vs. if the exposed individual was UNvaccinated?

The difference is that an UNvaccinated child may attend school if participating in on-campus testing and tests negative, but needs to be excluded from extracurricular activities for a period of time.



Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.