Sent August 30, 2022: Updated COVID Protocols

LPJUSD is following the most recent COVID protocols for the coming year based on the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidelines. Please refer to the link for further details regarding CDPH guidelines: K-12 Covid-19 Public Health Guidance for the 2022-23 School Year.

Masking

While wearing masks on campus continues to be highly recommended and not required, there are situations where wearing a mask would be critical in reducing the chances of a COVID outbreak. We ask that your student wear a mask at school in the following situations:

● If a family member your student lives with has COVID

● If a student is identified as a close contact to a positive case

● If a student is returning to school on a modified quarantine prior to day 10 of their isolation period

● As a general rule, it’s recommended that your student wear a mask for 10 days after the last known COVID exposure.

High-quality masks with a good fit and filtration provide the best protection for your child and the school community.

Testing

To be in line with CDPH guidelines, we have moved from asymptomatic testing to symptomatic testing on campus. The CDPH COVID Testing Task Force is encouraging schools and families to also consider the use of Over-the-Counter (OTC)/At-Home Antigen Testing as an option for the 2022/2023 School Year. The Santa Clara County Office of Education will be supplying our District with OTC tests to distribute to students before major holiday breaks.

If your student is a close contact to a positive case, we strongly recommend that they test 3-5 days after the last date that the individual with COVID-19 was in contact with your child, UNLESS your child had COVID-19 within the past 90 days (3 months). If your child starts to feel sick or shows symptoms, they should get tested right away, even if they had COVID-19 before.

● You may use an over-the-counter (at-home) test to test your student.

● We offer voluntary COVID testing on campus to students with a 2022-23 consent form on file. Primary Health consent forms were emailed to parents earlier this month. If you did not see a consent form in your inbox or junk mail, please contact Diane Harit at d.harit@loma.k12.ca.us.

● CDPH guidelines state that antigen testing is preferred. The PCR test can be used as a confirmatory test but is not required.

If your child has a sibling that tested positive for COVID, please test your child before returning to school. This will help to reduce the number of cases on campus and keep our school community safe and healthy.

Positive Cases

If your student exhibits COVID symptoms, please have them test immediately. If a student tests positive for COVID, please notify the school immediately. Your student should Stay home (PDF) and isolate from others for at least 5 days after the start of symptoms (or after the date of first positive test if no symptoms).

● Isolation can end after Day 5 if symptoms are not present or are resolving and the student on Day 5 or later tests negative.

● If unable to test, choosing not to test, or testing positive on Day 5 (or later), isolation can end after Day 10 if fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

● If fever is present, isolation should be continued until 24 hours after fever resolves.

● Per CDPH masking guidance, infected persons should wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings (see masking section above for additional information).

● Students who have tested positive for COVID and are looking to return-to-school should contact Diane Harit at d.harit@loma.k12.ca.us.

Independent Study (5-10 day) Contract

Our district policy states that a parent may request an independent study contract for their child on absences that are between 5-10 days in length to help keep them current with the learning while they are absent. The work must be turned in to your child’s teacher within a reasonable amount of time.

Thank you for your continued support as we work to keep our students, staff and volunteers safe.

Regards,

Superintendent Kevin Grier, Loma Prieta Joint Union School District

Sent August 11, 2022: Updated COVID Guidelines/Recommendations to order home test kits

Hello LPJUSD Families,

LPJUSD is following the latest COVID protocols for the coming year based on the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidelines. Please note that wearing masks on campus continues to be highly recommended, but not required. We encourage students and staff to wash hands often, and socially distance when possible. On June 30, 2022, the CDPH released updated K-12 Covid-19 Public Health Guidance for the 2022-23 School Year.

To be in line with CDPH guidelines, we will be moving to symptomatic testing on campus. A student will only be tested if they exhibit COVID symptoms and have an updated 2022-23 parent consent form on file. The CDPH Covid Testing Task Force is encouraging schools and families to also consider the use of Over-the-Counter (OTC)/At-Home Antigen Testing as an option for the 2022/2023 School Year. OTC tests will be provided at no cost by the State.

LPJUSD has OTC tests available to all students in preparation for our return to school courtesy of our Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE). The District plans to distribute an OTC test kit to families prior to the start of school for this purpose. We encourage you to test your student in the evening of August 17th to ensure your child is clear and COVID-free for the first day of school. You may pick up your free OTC test on the following days:

● Wednesday, August 10th from 7:30-9:00am outside the CT office

● Tuesday, August 16th from 4:00-5:00pm at the Root Beer Social on the Loma playground

In preparation for the shift in COVID guidelines, we are encouraging our families to have a supply of OTC tests on hand for the start of the school year. You may order up to 3 rounds of 8 FREE TEST KITS from the Federal Government by CLICKING THIS LINK. The application takes less than a minute to complete, and your tests will arrive by US Mail. We recommend that you order the maximum number of kits allowed at your earliest convenience. The CDPH recommends that students do an OTC Covid Test the day before returning from school breaks. TESTING AFTER SCHOOL BREAKS.

Notes:

· If you placed two orders previously, you can now place a third order. That third order will contain a total of 8 tests.

· If you placed only one order previously, you can now place both a second and third order. Each order must be placed separately and will contain a total of 8 tests.

· If you did not place an order previously, then you can place three separate orders, each containing a total of 8 tests.

We will also be sending out COVID consent forms via email on Thursday, August 11, 2022 to our Loma and CT families through our testing partner, Primary Health. In order for staff to test your child on campus, WE NEED THE CONSENT FORM SIGNED BY A PARENT. If you registered your child on Primary Health last year, you will need to re-register and sign the consent form for the 2022-23 school year. Please be on the lookout for an email from Primary Health, and click on the hyperlink to complete the registration process. Participation in on-campus testing is completely voluntary.

We look forward to continuing to partner with our families this year to keep our students safe, healthy, and in school!

Yours in Wellness,

LPJUSD Staff