COVID-19 Safety Planning

San Juan Unified’s COVID-19 Safety Plan has been developed in consultation with employee groups and community feedback in accordance with the latest local, state and federal guidance. The plan defines the efforts the district will undertake to ensure the health and safety of students, staff members and the community as a whole in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This document forms the basis of our response but is supplemented by specific COVID-19 Prevention Plans (CPPs) at each school site. These documents together represent a school’s full planning response.

This plan can be found online at https://www.sanjuan.edu/covidsafetyplans. Site CPPs are incorporated in each site's Injury and Illness Prevention Program document maintained at the site as required by Cal-OSHA. 

If you wish to provide feedback on the effectiveness of a chosen COVID-19 prevention practice or make suggestions on how San Juan Unified can improve our efforts to protect health and safety, please email info@sanjuan.edu. Your submission will be reviewed by the COVID-19 response team.

To help protect the health and safety of our school communities, all families, students and staff are asked to follow these basic expectations: 

• Conduct a daily health self-screening for illness every morning before going to school. 
• If an employee, student or family member is experiencing symptoms or otherwise ill they must not come to a school campus or other district facility. 
• If a student becomes ill during the school day, they must be picked up by a parent or guardian immediately. 
• All individuals must comply with current face covering requirements at all times.
• Follow the guidance of this document and the school's COVID-19 Prevention Plan.

Family Education

Schools may hold workshops or orientations for families as needed throughout the year to discuss topics and answer questions.

Students

Early identification of possible COVID-19 cases and reducing exposures is a key strategy to stopping the spread of the virus. That's why all parents and guardians must perform a daily symptom check on their child prior to sending them to school.

A daily prescreening tool made up of a list of questions parents or guardians should consider is provided. You can find the latest version at www.sanjuan.edu/covid19. 

Any students who are found to have symptoms as part of their daily screening must remain home and not come to campus. Parents/guardians must notify the school of the student's absence and report that they are experiencing symptoms. 

Staff

All San Juan Unified staff members must self-screen on a daily basis using the same questions asked of students. 

Any staff member who reports symptoms as part of their daily screening must remain home and not come to their worksite. 

lt is essential that students, staff and guests wash hands, avoid contact with their eyes, nose, and mouth, and cover coughs and sneezes.

• Students and staff should use a tissue to wipe their nose and cough/sneeze inside a tissue or their elbow if a tissue is not available. Once a tissue is used, throw it away and then wash hands.

• Students and staff should wash their hands frequently throughout the day, including before and after eating; after coughing or sneezing; after classes where they handle shared items, such as outside recreation, art, or shop; and before and after using the restroom.
• Students and staff should wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap, rubbing thoroughly after application.
• Staff should model and practice handwashing. For example, for lower grade levels, use bathroom time as an opportunity to reinforce healthy habits and monitor proper handwashing.
• Students and staff should use fragrance-free hand sanitizer when handwashing is not available. Sanitizer should be rubbed into hands until completely dry. Hand sanitizer stations are available throughout each campus. Note: frequent handwashing is more effective than the use of hand sanitizers.

San Juan Unified follows the current requirements from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Sacramento County Public Health related to face coverings on school campuses. These requirements may change as local conditions change.

The district requires the use of face coverings in certain circumstances including: 

• When in a COVID-19 testing area or facility 
• When employees are identified as close contact exposures and their worksite has been determined to meet the Cal/OSHA definition of a COVID-19 outbreak location. 

Harassment or intimidation of any individual for choosing to wear a face covering or to not wear a face covering is not acceptable.

The district's facilities and facilities staff play a key role in protecting the health and safety of our school communities. 

Ventilation 

• HVAC system coils disinfected with an EPA List-N product.
• All systems utilize the highest rated filtration approved for their operation up to a MERV 13 rating. Filters are replaced based on manufacturer recommendations. 
• System schedules have been adjusted to allow building air flushing before and after program use.

Cleaning

• Custodial staff frequently clean common touch points including door handles and faucets. 
• Approved cleaning materials effective against COVID-19 are provided to site staff to assist with appropriate cleaning. 
• If there is a positive case or illness on a campus, additional district staff have been trained and can be deployed to deliver deep cleaning to moderate or large areas as needed. 

Events

All events and activities must follow state, local and all guidance in this document including below. Requirements may be modified when local conditions and/or guidance from health officials change.

• An event plan must be submitted to the appropriate assistant superintendent's office and approved at least two weeks prior to any event with more than 100 participants. Events that repeat, i.e.., athletic competitions, may submit one plan to cover all instances of the event.  
• Access will be provided to hand washing and hand sanitizer.  
• Volunteers and employees who are supporting an event in any capacity are encouraged to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Volunteers must pre-register and be cleared through the district's registration system found at https://www.sanjuan.edu/volunteer. During times of high community transmission of COVID-19 or as otherwise advised by local health officials, those participating in some high-risk activities may be required to COVID-19 test regardless of vaccination status. 
• If an individual attending or otherwise participating in an event reports testing positive for COVID-19 within 72 hours after the event, event organizers will: 
  • Work with their site administrator to ensure a COVID-19 case report is filed. 
  • Attempt to identify other individuals who may qualify as close contact exposures and notify them of the positive case. 
  • If all close contact exposures cannot be identified with certainty, organizers will work with the communication department and site administration to distribute a message alerting attendees to the positive case. 

The performing arts represent a unique learning experience for our students. There are currently no restrictions on band, choir, drama or other arts-based programs. 

See Events and Meetings for more information on student performances. 

Physical education is an important area of learning. All safety precautions called for inside other classrooms apply for physical education and dance programs as well.

• Students can dress out for physical education. When locker rooms are utilized, face coverings are recommended. Strategies such as assigning students to specific lockers should be used.
• Use of shared equipment should be discouraged when possible. Students and others who do use shared equipment should sanitize or wash their hands before and after each use. 

Meal services provide an opportunity for nutrition and socialization which can be done safely with a few precautions. 

San Juan Unified schools will: 

• Maximize physical distance as much as possible while eating (especially indoors).
  • Provide outdoor eating spaces as weather and space allow.
  • Consider the addition of lunch period or adding time to a lunch period to allow for providing meal service to fewer students at one time.
  • Consider providing additional supervision for students to eat in other areas of the campus.
• Clean frequently touched surfaces. Surfaces that come in contact with food should be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before and after meals.

Field trips provide an important opportunity to support classroom instruction. School sites will carefully consider the safety implications and necessary precautions for students, staff and guests. Appropriate alternative activities will be provided for any student who does not wish to participate in a field trip experience.

• All district and school site safety requirements and guidance must be followed regardless of the location of the field trip including the proper use of face coverings. 
• All safety requirements and guidance of field trip locations must be followed. 
• All staff or volunteers (including drivers or chaperones) who participate in a field trip experience are encouraged to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Volunteers must be listed on the district's volunteer list after completing the volunteer verification process. 
• Prior to departure on a field trip, plans must be in place for the isolation and separate transport of any student, staff member or volunteer who develops symptoms consistent with COVID-19 while on the trip. Any individual who develops symptoms that cannot be linked to a known condition must be isolated from other participants and transported directly home.
• Field trips to other regions that are experiencing high rates of COVID-19 transmission are discouraged. Schools will check and abide by any local health precautions and requirements for travel to other regions when Sacramento County is experiencing high rates of COVID-19 transmission. 
• Overnight field trips are permissible.
  • Efforts should be made to maintain stabilized groupings to the greatest degree practicable for the duration of the trip.
  • Efforts must be made to maximize the physical distance between students sleeping in a shared space. 
  • Efforts should be made to maximize air ventilation in sleeping quarters as weather and other conditions permit.

All athletics programs must comply with applicable district, county and state requirements including but not limited to those related to schools, public events, athletic competitions, youth sports and volunteers in schools.

All staff, coaches and volunteers including but not limited to chaperones, snack bar workers, and parent/guardian/family are encouraged to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and must complete the verification process found at https://www.sanjuan.edu/volunteer.

See Athletics and Student Performances under Events for more information regarding athletic competitions. 

San Juan Unified provides bus transportation for special education students with specific needs and school field trips. The following applies in both situations: 

• When possible, students should practice physical distancing when choosing their seat on a school bus. 
• At least two windows should be lowered on the bus when weather permits to encourage airflow. 

Visitors are allowed on school campuses for necessary purposes.

Volunteers who have completed the district’s volunteer verification process (https://www.sanjuan.edu/volunteer) are permitted on campus when performing volunteer duties.

Parents and guardians are not required to register as a volunteer when visiting to observe their student but are asked to schedule their visit with the classroom teacher at least 24 hours in advance and must follow all school rules for site visitors. Parents and guardians who support any student other than their own are volunteers and must complete the volunteer registration process found at https://www.sanjuan.edu/volunteer. 

Visitor, volunteer and guest access to school campuses may be modified as local health conditions and guidance change. Schools experiencing high numbers of COVID-19 cases may have specific restrictions on guests, visitors and volunteers put in place.

Students 
Students feeling ill at school with COVID-19 symptoms should be isolated and sent home as soon as possible. Staff should document students who are sent home and their symptoms in SIS-Q. The site should communicate with their school nurse regarding potential COVID-19 cases.

Staff
Staff members should immediately notify their supervisor and go home. Staff are recommended to contact their physician as soon as possible and get tested for COVID-19.

Returning to School or Work (in-person) for Symptomatic Students or Staff

Students and staff may not return to in-person instruction or work until they have met the criteria in the "Confirmed or Suspected Cases of COVID-19" section of this plan which is aligned to the latest recommendations from the California Department of Public Health. 

The district has put into place a reporting and tracking structure to help monitor and proactively discourage the spread of COVID-19. 

Students & Families

If a student or family of a student needs to report symptoms of COVID-19 or a confirmed COVID-19 test, they must remain home and contact their school office by phone or email immediately. 

Staff

Staff members who are ill or need to report a confirmed COVID-19 test must remain home and contact their direct supervisor by email or phone immediately. 

Supervisors & Site Administrators

Upon receiving a report of a confirmed COVID-19 test, department managers and site administrators are responsible for ensuring that an online report is filed within IRIS (internal San Juan Unified link) immediately. This will alert the district's COVID-19 response team who will work with the department manager or site administrator to ensure an appropriate response to the case. 

Health officials recommend COVID-19 testing for those individuals who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or for those who have been a recent close contact exposure. Surveillance monitoring (testing when not symptomatic or exposed) is no longer recommended.  San Juan Unified provides at-home test kits to families and employees while supplies last. Test kits can be requested from school offices or the district office located at 3738 Walnut Ave., in Carmichael. 

Any positive test result should immediately be reported to the school office for students or a supervisor for employees and the tested individual should not return to the school or worksite.

COVID-19 Positive Test Result

If a student or staff has tested positive for COVID-19: 

• If on campus, isolate case and exclude from school/work
  Administrator/supervisor completes online COVID-19 incident report.
• Site administrator and COVID-19 response team identify close contact exposures in accordance with current state and local health official guidance.
• Recommend testing for close contact exposures.
  School/office/class may remain open.
• District communication office will assist schools and programs to provide notification to students and staff who may have been in close contact to the individual.

Students and staff who test positive but are asymptomatic are not considered infectious and do not require any isolation from school or work.

Individuals who test positive and have symptoms must isolate. Isolation periods last until the individual has been fever-free for 24 hours and symptoms have improved.

Of note, employees returning after testing positive must wear a mask while indoors for 10 days from the day of the start of symptoms.

Suspected Case

If a student or staff answers "yes" to one of the health prescreening questions and/or has COVID-19 symptoms, but has not been tested or is awaiting test results: 

• If on campus, staff will isolate the individual and then send them home, staff will use the Symptom Decision Tree for minor and major symptoms. 
• Classes and offices remain open. 
• Notifications to other students or staff is not necessary unless the individual later tests positive for COVID-19. 

Those who have had symptoms may not return to work/school until: 

1. They are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications; AND

2. Their symptoms have resolved or improved.

An individual is considered exposed or a close contact exposure if in the same room or other contained space indoors for a total of 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period during a COVID-19 positive person's highly infectious period. The infectious period is considered to be two days prior to and 10 days after the onset of symptoms or first positive test if asymptomatic.

San Juan Unified follows the latest guidance and requirements from state and local health departments regarding quarantine and isolation periods. You can find the latest information at www.sanjuan.edu/covid19.

Even if not required to isolate or quarantine by current health guidance, any exposed persons should test for COVID-19 three to five days after their last date of exposure, wear a well-fitted face covering and closely monitor for any symptoms. 

Closure of a classroom, program or school site will occur if necessary to protect the health and safety of students, staff and community members. Only the Superintendent of Schools or designee may authorize a closure and shall work in consultation with local health officials in making the determination. 

Typically, a closure will require that an outbreak has occurred at a school site or within a classroom or program rather than a single case. Local health officials may also determine closure is warranted for other reasons, including results from a public health investigation or other epidemiological data. 

Continuity of Services

It is San Juan Unified’s interest and intent to maintain the delivery of educational services to the greatest extent possible should students and staff need to be quarantined or a school or worksite closed for a period of time. The district remains in conversations regarding the best options for providing services and will revise planning on a frequent basis.

• If an individual or group of students must be quarantined, they will be provided with work from home assignments and make up work during the duration of their quarantine period. In the case of extended quarantines, (beyond 30 days) consideration may be given to enrollment in independent study or other alternative education programs.
• If a staff member or group of staff members must be quarantined, they have the option to work from home if well enough but are not required to do so. If needed, substitutes will be provided in the classroom to maintain service delivery to students and families.
• If a school must be closed for a period of more than 14 days, the district will shift instruction to an independent study model supported by synchronous teacher-led instruction and supplemented by asynchronous learning assignments.
  • Students, including those with disabilities and English learners, who need additional supports will be prioritized for receiving in-person services as health conditions and precautions allow.
  • For closures extending beyond 14 days, students with specific needs may also be evaluated for individualized plans.