Table of Contents

Overview

In-Person School Reopening

School Reopening Guidance 

Layers of Safety: Infection Mitigation Strategies

• General Measures

• Face Coverings

• Stable Group Guidance Considerations by Grade Level

• Implementing Distancing Inside and Outside the Classroom

• Ventilation

• Promote Healthy Hand Hygiene Practices

• Cleaning and Disinfection
  

• Check for Signs, Symptoms and Exposures

• Staff-to-Staff Interactions

• Limit Sharing

• Train All Staff and Educate Families 
  

• Maintain Healthy Operations 
  

What to do if there is a Confirmed or Suspected Case of COVID-19 in a School

School Closure Determinations

K-12 School Testing

Vaccines for K-12 Schools

Appendices

Overview 

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) developed the following framework to support school communities as they decide when and how to implement in-person instruction for the 2020-2021 school year. This document is rooted in the scientific evidence available to date and supports twin goals: safe and successful in-person instruction. 

Understanding and evidence about the transmission and epidemiology of SARSCoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has evolved significantly over the course of the pandemic. Schools throughout the state are now in various stages of instruction including fully distance learning, fully in-person learning, and hybrid instruction based on local conditions. 

Key mitigation strategies, studied in multiple settings and used successfully in schools nationally and internationally, allow for safe in-person instruction. The thoughtful implementation of mitigation strategies, specific to school context, provides a careful and effective pathway forward as community transmission rates fluctuate. 

Information about the latest science of COVID-19 transmissions, including evidence regarding the lower risk of transmission for elementary aged students compared to middle and high-school aged students, is available here as an evidence summary. However, new evidence and data about COVID-19 transmission, including variations by age, and the effectiveness of disease control and mitigation strategies continues to emerge regularly. 

Recommendations regarding in-person school reopening and closure should be based on the latest available evidence as well as state and local disease trends and we will update this guidance as needed to reflect new evidence. 

This document is intended to provide an update to the COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Learning Framework for K-12 Schools in California, 2020- 2021 School Year (July 17, 2020) guidance. This document also provides a consolidation of content from other CDPH COVID-19 and school-related guidance and supersedes previous CDPH COVID-19 and Cal/OSHA school guidance.

Authority 

This guidance is a public health directive that applies to all public and private schools operating in California. Under operative executive orders and provisions of the California Health and Safety Code, schools must comply with orders and guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health and relevant 4 local health departments (LHDs) to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health. 

Governmental and non-governmental entities at all levels have issued guidance and directives relating to the safe reopening of schools for in-person instruction. Schools may comply with guidance from other federal, state, local, and nongovernmental sources, to the extent those guidelines are not weaker than or inconsistent with state and local public health directives. 

This updated directive also incorporates two other public health directives issued January 14, 2021, related to: (1) reporting details of any positive case of a person who has been on campus to LHDs and (2) reporting to CDPH whether and to what degree all public and private schools have reopened to serve students in-person on campus. These directives are attached as Appendices 3 and 4.

Summary of Changes and Additions 

CDPH developed this comprehensive framework to support school communities as they determine how to implement in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. 

This document is intended to consolidate and update prior state public health guidance and orders related to schools. Specifically, this document supersedes the following guidance, orders, and frequently asked questions: 

• COVID-19 Industry Guidance: Schools and School-Based Programs (first published in May 2020; last updated August 3, 2020). 

• The COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Learning Framework for K-12 Schools in California, 2020-2021 School Year (July 17, 2020). 

• The Elementary Education Waiver process and the associated School Waiver Letter and Cover Form and Local Health Officer Waiver Notice Form (all issued on August 3, 2020).

• CDPH Schools Frequently Asked Questions (first issued August 3, 2020;last updated October 20, 2020). 

This update provides both K-12 schools and LHDs additional guidance for providing in-person instruction, including: 

1. Criteria and processes for school reopenings under the Blueprint for aSafer Economy framework. (Updated on January 19, 2021 to clarify language in the Re-open definition. Updated on February 22, 2021 to clarify eligibility window for re-opening.) 
   
2. Considerations intended to help school community leaders plan for and prepare to resume in-person instruction including steps to take when a 5 student or staff member is found to have COVID-19 symptoms during the school day and while participating in before and after school programs. 
3. Response to confirmed COVID-19 infections when: a. a case of COVID-19 is confirmed in a student or staff member; and b. a cluster or outbreak of COVID-19 at a school is being investigated. 
4. Physical distancing in classrooms. 
5. Implementation of stable groups of students and staff. 

This document does not modify or supersede the Guidance Related to Cohortsfor Children and Youth (first issued on August 25, 2020; last updated September 4, 2020), which applies to groups of children and youth in controlled, supervised, and indoor environments. The Cohort Guidance continues to allow schools that are not permitted to reopen under state or local public health directives and schools (and any grades at schools) that have not yet reopened if permitted to do so to serve students in-person in small, stable cohorts, as specified in the Cohort Guidance.

Definitions

Schools and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs): As used throughout this document, refer to county offices of education or their equivalent, school districts, charter schools, and the governing authorities of private schools (including nonpublic nonsectarian schools). 

Transitional Kindergarten: Means the first year of a two-year kindergarten program that uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate. As used throughout this document, “kindergarten” is inclusive of transitional kindergarten. 

Cohorts: In this document, “cohorts” has a specific meaning, which are groups of students who are meeting for targeted supports and intervention services, under the direction of an LEA, while the school is closed to in-person instruction and in addition to distance learning. Sometimes these groups are also called “learning hubs” or “pods.” Regardless of the name, all of the provisions in the Cohorting Guidance must be followed for such cohorts to meet, whether they are operated by LEAs, non-profits, or other providers, as a maximum of 16 individuals (students and staff). In this document, “cohort” does not refer to the more general “stable groups” that are described in the Stable Group Guidance section below. 

Reopen for in-person instruction:What does it mean to be “open” or “reopened”? The term “open” or “reopen” refers to operations for at least one grade at the school that are permittedonly 6 if the county satisfies the eligibility requirements for schools to “open” or “reopen.” Specifically, the school must have given all students in at least one grade the option to return for in-person instruction for at least part of the schoolweek to be considered to “open” or “reopen.” This includes a school that has offered all students in at least one grade the option of receiving in-person instruction for only certain days during the week (commonly referred to as a “hybrid” model). Schools that were operating only in the manner permitted under the Cohorting Guidance are therefore not “open” or “reopened.” 

In addition, if only some students were being served in-person in a school in a county in the Red Tier or lower (e.g., only students with disabilities) and all students in at least one grade did not have the option to return in-person as described above, the school has not “opened” or “reopened.” In such circumstances, if the school is located in a county that shifts to the Purple Tier, the school may continue serving the students in-person as it did as of January 14, 2021, but it may not bring additional students back for in-person instruction and services, unless it adheres to the Cohort Guidance for the students newly brought back in-person. 

Is a school “reopened” if it was previously permitted to reopen but became ineligible to reopen before actually reopening? No. Schools must have actually reopened for in-person instruction (using the definition above) while the county was in the Red Tier in order to remain open if the county moves back to Purple Tier, outside of the three-week period allowed for opening noted below in the “School re-opening eligibility window” section. If the county is in the Purple Tier, and the three-week period has passed, the school must wait until it is eligible again. 

If a school was implementing a phased reopening (e.g., only opened grades 9- 10 for in-person instruction with set plans to phase in grades 11 and 12) while the county was in the Red Tier, the school site may continue their phased reopening if the county reverts back to the Purple Tier, if authorized by local health officer (LHO). This is only applicable to individual school sites. If a school district has a phased reopening of their schools, the schools in that district that did not open for in-person instruction may not re-open until the county meets the reopening criteria. 

This also applies to schools subject to the updated Elementary Reopening Process (see below) applicable to the Purple Tier. Even if the school previously received a waiver under the former Elementary Education Waiver Process or meets the conditions to reopen under the updated Elementary Reopening Process, if it has not yet reopened within the three-week period described below in “School re-opening eligibility window” and the county case rate (CR) exceeds the criteria described below, the school must delay reopening until the 7 county case rate drops below the threshold.

In-Person School Reopening 

The two subsections below describe the requirements for all schools, including those that have already reopened and those that have not. The Blueprint for a Safer Economy continues to inform the school reopening process. The Blueprint for a Safer Economy is based on Tiers, defined using the CR, the 7-day average of daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population, and the test positivity in a county. This Schools Framework uses the adjusted case rate, as described in the Blueprint. 

Under this updated guidance, all schools must complete and post to their website homepages a COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP), described below in COVID19 Safety Plan for In-person Instruction section (page 10) prior to reopening for in-person instruction. Schools that have already reopened are required to post their CSPs by February 1, 2021. The CSP is intended to consolidate requirements to develop written plans pursuant to CDPH guidance first issued in May 2020 and the Cal/OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards finalized in November 2020. 

Of note, the Cal/OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards require a written plan called the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Program (CPP) (see the COVID-19 Safety Plan for In-person Instruction for more information); therefore, schools are expected to have already created this written plan. In order to align with Cal/OSHA standards and minimize burden to schools, the CPP for the school is the first component of the CSP. 

As described below, under the updated Elementary Reopening Process, schools must also submit a copy of the CSP to the LHD and the State Safe Schools for All Team before they reopen elementary schools if they are operating within a jurisdiction or county that is in the Purple Tier.

Requirements for Schools That Have Already Reopened

As described below, under the COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP) Posting and Submission Requirements for In-Person Instruction section, schools must also submit a copy of the CSP to the LHD and the State Safe Schools for All Team before they reopen schools if they are operating within a jurisdiction or county that is in the Purple Tier. 

Schools that have already reopened for in-person instruction must, by February 1, 2021, complete and post a COVID-19 Safety Plan to their website homepage or, in the case of schools that do not maintain websites, in another 8 publicly accessible manner, to continue operating in-person instruction, as described in the Covid-19 Safety Plan for In-Person Instruction section. 

Schools that have reopened are not required to close if the county moves to the Purple Tier or goes over a CR of 25 per 100,000 population. See School Closure Determinations below for more information.

Criteria to Reopen for In-Person Instruction

Purple, Red, Orange, and Yellow Tiers. Schools may reopen for in-person instruction for all grades K-12 in counties in all Tiers under the Blueprint for a Safer Economy if the county adjusted case rate is less than 25 per 100,000 population per day. Operations once reopened must adhere to the updated Sector Guidance for School and School-Based Program reflected in this document (see below).

• School re-opening eligibility window: During the pandemic, counties move above and below an adjusted case rate of 25. School communities may need time to organize final Board approvals and do final preparations for safe school opening once a county has met the relevant criterion for school reopening. To address this, schools have a three-week period to open, starting the day the county meets the criterion for re-opening, even if the county stops meeting the criterion during that window (i.e., case rate is ≥25 in a subsequent calculation). The window will be determined as follows: The first day a county is considered eligible to re-open is the Wednesday following the weekly county tier assignments are announced and posted on the Blueprint website (Tuesdays) showing a weekly case rate of less than 25. The goal of the three-week window is to facilitate calm and safe school re-openings.
  

All schools that reopen under this section must complete and post a CSP to their website homepage before reopening for in-person instruction, as described in the CSP Posting and Submission Requirements for In-Person Instruction section.  Additionally, schools in counties in Purple Tier may reopen under this section only if they submit the CSP to their local health officer (LHO) and the State Safe Schools for All Team concurrently with posting the CSP to the LEA's website homepage. 

COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP) for In-Person Instruction

The COVID-19 Safety plan (CSP) consists of two parts: (1) the Cal/OSHA COVID19 Prevention Program (CPP) and (2) the COVID-19 School Guidance Checklist.

Cal/OSHA Prevention Program (CPP)

On December 1, 2020, Cal/OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standards requiring employers to protect workers from hazards related to COVID-19 went into effect. The regulations require that employers, including schools, establish and implement a written CPP to address COVID-19 health hazards, correct unsafe or unhealthy conditions, and provide face coverings. Employers can also create a written CPP by incorporating elements of this program into their existing Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP), if desired. Cal/OSHA has posted FAQs and a one-page fact sheet on the regulation, as well as a model COVID-19 prevention program. 

• Cal/OSHA Frequently Asked Questions 

• Cal/OSHA Fact Sheet 

• Cal/OSHA Prevention Program Template - Example
  

COVID-19 School Guidance Checklist

In addition to the CPP, a COVID-19 School Guidance Checklist must be included and be posted online and submitted as outlined below.

COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP) Posting and Submission Requirements for In-Person Instruction

For schools that have already reopened, regardless of Tier, the LEA must post the CSP publicly on its website homepage by February 1, 2021.

For those schools that have not reopened, that are in counties in the Yellow, Orange, or Red Tier, the LEA must complete and post the CSP publicly on its website homepage at least 5 days prior to providing in-person instruction.

• While developing and prior to posting a CSP, it is strongly recommended that the LEA (or equivalent) consult with labor, parent, and community organizations. Examples of community organizations include school-based non-profit organizations and local organizations that support student enrichment, recreation, after-school programs, health services, early childhood services, or provide family support.
  

Schools that have not reopened, that are in counties in the Purple Tier, may reopen for in-person instruction if the LEA completes and posts a CSP to its website homepage and submits the CSP to their LHD and the State Safe Schools for All Team at least 5 days prior to providing in-person instruction.

• While developing and prior to submitting a CSP, the LEA must consult with labor, parent, and community organizations. Examples of community organizations include school-based non-profit organizations and local organizations that support student enrichment, recreation, after-school programs, health services, early childhood services or provide family support.

• The COVID-19 School Guidance Checklist requires that the LEA provide evidence of consultation with labor, parent, and community organizations.

• The LEA must sign an attestation confirming the names and dates that the organizations were consulted. If school staff are not represented by a labor organization, then the applicant must describe the process by which it consulted with school staff.

• The LEA must confirm publication of the CSP on the website of the LEA.

• The LEA must submit the CSP on behalf of all schools within their direct administrative authority, with site-specific precautions noted within the CSP to address considerations unique to specific school sites, as applicable. For example, a school district must submit a consolidated CSP for every school under its direct administrative authority, and must outline site-specific precautions insofar as there are features unique to the site that raise greater risks of COVID-19 transmission.

• If a group of private, faith-based, or charter schools within a single county are subject to the same governing authority (e.g., an archdiocese, charter management organization, etc.), the governing authority may submit the CSP on behalf of those schools, but must address site-specific considerations consistent with the bullet above. Otherwise, independent, private, faith-based, or charter schools that are affiliated with a broader network should post and submit the CSP for each school.

• As noted above, schools serving grades K-12 may not reopen for in-person instruction in jurisdictions with CR ≥25 cases per 100,000 population per day.
  

While not required, LEAs are strongly encouraged to post on their website, along with the CSP, the detailed plans describing how they will meet the requirements outlined in the CSP elements. This can provide transparency to school community members making decisions about participation in in-person learning. 

Cohorting Guidance for Specialized Services

This updated guidance does not modify or supersede the applicability of the Cohorting Guidance to school settings. More information regarding the minimum health and safety guidelines that must be followed to provide inperson services and supervision to children and youth in cohorts is set forth in the Cohorting Guidance, which applies across multiple sectors serving youth, including childcare and schools that are not reopened for in-person instruction. 

The stable groups described in the Cohorting Guidance, and described below in the Stable Group Guidance decreases opportunities for exposure to or transmission of the virus; reduces the numbers of exposed individuals if COVID-19 15 is introduced into the cohort; facilitates more efficient contact tracing in the event of a positive case; and allows for targeted testing and quarantine of a single cohort instead of potential schoolwide closures in the event of a positive case or cluster of cases. 

The Cohorting Guidance provides a way for schools not yet permitted to reopen under state and local public health directives or that have not yet reopened even though permitted to reopen to provide in-person supervision, instruction, targeted support services, and facilitation of distance learning for some students, especially high-need student groups and students who may not be able to benefit fully from distance learning offerings. 

Existing state law requires public schools to provide in-person instruction to the greatest extent possible (Education Code section 45304(b)). State law further requires that distance learning ensure access to connectivity and devices that allow students to participate in the educational program and complete assigned work. In addition, state law requires that students with disabilities and English learners receive educational and related services to which they are entitled under the law, among other requirements (Education Code section 45303(b) (1), (4) & (5)). The Cohorting Guidance therefore provides an important avenue for schools that have not yet reopened under this guidance to provide supervision, instruction and support to small cohorts of students to ensure students receive necessary services even while students are generally participating in distance learning.

Additional Reopening Considerations

Availability of Distance Learning for Students Who Request It. Schools should continue to offer distance learning for students who request it. 

Thoughtful, Phased Implementation. K-12 school sites should employ a phased-in model as a part of their reopening plan. Phased reopening plans for in-person instruction may include, but are not limited to: 

• Shifting from a full distance learning model to hybrid. 

• Gradually allowing for specified grades and/or a percentage ofeach grade to resume in-person learning, beginning with the youngest and most disproportionately impacted students. 

• Allowing for a gradual number of students, at a specified capacity, per grade or school site.
  

If a school with a phased-in model has opened for in-person instruction, and the county changes to the Purple Tier or to a CR≥25, the school may continue the phased reopening.

Staff Access to Campus if Not Reopened for In-Person Instruction. Teachers, school and support staff, and administrators may return to work physically without students on site while counties are not open for in-person instruction, provided that those on site follow the school’s COVID-19 Safety Plan consistent with Cal/OSHA regulations. 

Boarding Schools. Residential components of boarding schools are to remain closed (with the exception of residential components of boarding schools that are currently operating with the permission of local health authorities, and those serving wards or dependents of the juvenile courts) regardless of the Tier status of their county until further guidance is issued. The non-residential components of boarding schools (e.g., in-person instruction for day students) are governed by the same guidelines as other K-12 schools.

School Reopening Guidance

All guidance, as schools plan and prepare to resume in-person instruction, should be implemented as outlined in the In-Person School Reopening section, including the development of a CSP.

Layers of Safety: Infection Mitigation Strategies

A key goal for safe schools is to reduce or eliminate in-school transmission. A helpful conceptual framing as schools plan for and implement safety measures for in-person instruction, is the layering of mitigation strategies. Each strategy (face coverings, stable groups, distancing, etc.) decreases the risk of in-school transmission; but no one layer is 100% effective. It is the combination of layers that are most effective and have been shown to decrease transmissions. 

As schools plan for reopening for in-person instruction and as they continue to work on operations once open, it may be helpful to understand the mitigation strategies with stronger evidence supporting their use. We have ordered the list below such that the interventions known at this time to be more effective in reducing the risk of transmission appear before the ones that are helpful but may have a potentially smaller effect or have less evidence of efficacy. Of note, though scientific comparative assessments are limited, the top three items are likely of similar importance: 

1. Face coverings. 
2. Stable groups. 
   
3. Physical distancing. 
4. Adequate ventilation. 
5. Hand hygiene. 
   
6. Symptom and close contact exposure screening, with exclusion from school for staff or students with symptoms or with confirmed close contact. 
7. Surveillance or screening testing.
   

Frequent disinfection, which was thought at the beginning of the pandemic to be a key safety component, can pose a health risk to children and students due to the chemicals used and has proven to have limited to no impact on COVID19 transmission. Disinfection with specified products (see Cleaning and Disinfection section), is recommended for schools after a case has been identified in the school, in the spaces where the case spent a large proportion of their time (e.g., classroom, or administrator’s office if an administrator). Please see Cleaning and Disinfection section for additional details. 

Of note, adults (>18 years old) appear to be more infectious overall than children, making staff-to-staff transmission an important focus for safety efforts. A specific situation that has resulted in exposure and transmission among staff in multiple schools is eating and drinking indoors without being physically distant (for instance, in break rooms or common areas). Specific messaging and support to staff to prevent this scenario are strongly recommended. 

General Measures

Establish and continue communication with local and state authorities to determine current disease levels and control measures in your community. For example: 

• Consult with your LHO, or designated public health staff, who are best positioned to monitor and provide advice on local conditions. A directory can be found here. 

• Collaborate with other schools and school partners in your region, including the county office of education. 

• Access State Technical Assistance resources available for schools and for LHDs to support safe and successful in-person instruction, available on the Safe Schools for All Hub.
  

• Regularly review updated guidance from state agencies, including CDPH and California Department of Education.
  

Face Coverings

Face coverings must be used in accordance with CDPH guidelines unless a person is exempt as explained in the guidelines. 

• Information contained in the CDPH Guidance for the Use of FaceCoverings should be provided to staff and families of students. The face covering guidance applies to all settings, including schools. The guidance discusses the circumstances in which face coverings must be worn and the exemptions, as well as any policies, work rules, and practices employers have adopted to ensure the use of face coverings. 

• Teach and reinforce use of face coverings, or in limited instances, faceshields with drapes.

• Students and staff should be frequently reminded not to touch the face covering and to wash their hands frequently. 

• Information should be provided to all staff and families in the school community on proper use, removal, and washing of cloth face coverings. 

• Training should also include policies on how people who are exempted from wearing a face covering will be addressed. 
  

• Students in all grade levels K-12 are required to wear face coverings in accordance with the  CDPH Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings, while at school, unless exempted.
  

• A cloth face covering or face shield should be removed for meals, snacks, naptime, or when it needs to be replaced. When a cloth face covering is temporarily removed, it should be placed in a clean, safe area, clearly marked with the student’s name and date, until it needs to be put on again. 

• Participants in youth and adult sports should wear face coverings when participating in the activity, even with heavy exertion as tolerated, both indoors and outdoors. 

• The face covering guidance recognizes that there are some people who cannot wear a face covering for a number of different reasons. People are exempted from the requirement if they are under age 2, have a medical or mental health condition or disability that would impede them from properly wearing or handling a face covering, those with a communication disability, or when it would inhibit communication with a person who is hearing impaired. Those with communication disabilities or caregivers of those with communication disabilities can consider wearing a clear mask or cloth mask with a clear panel when appropriate. 

• Persons exempted from wearing a face covering due to a medical condition, as confirmed by school district health team and therapists, must wear a non-restrictive alternative, such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge, as long as their condition permits it.
  

• Schools must develop protocols to provide a face covering to students who inadvertently fail to bring a face covering to school to prevent unnecessary exclusions. 

• Schools should offer alternative educational opportunities forstudents who are excluded from campus because they will not wear a face covering. 

• In order to comply with this guidance, schools must exclude studentsfrom campus if they are not exempt from wearing a face covering under CDPH guidelines and refuse to wear one provided by the school. 

• Employers must provide and ensure staff use face coverings and all other required personal protective equipment in accordance with CDPH guidelines. 

• The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) and CDPH are and will be working to support procurement and distribution of face coverings and needed personal protective equipment to schools. Additional information can be found here. 

• The Department of General Services negotiated statewide master contracts, which LEAs may leverage to reduce costs and secure supply chains. Additional information can be found here. 

• Face covering policies apply on school buses and any vehicle affiliated with the LEA used to transport students, staff, or teachers to and/or from a school site. 

• Classrooms, school buses, and shared school office spaces used by persons who cannot tolerate face coverings are less safe for others who share that environment. Schools may want to consider notifying others who share spaces with unmasked or sub-optimally masked individuals about the environment. Also consider employing several additional mitigation strategies (or fortifying existing mitigation strategies) to optimize safety. These may include increasing the frequency of asymptomatic tests offered to unmasked or sub-optimally masked individuals, employing longer social distances, installing clear physical barriers, reducing duration of time in shared environments, and opting for either outdoor or highlyventilated indoor educational spaces, as possible.
  

Staff

• All staff must use face coverings in accordance with CDPH guidelines unless Cal/OSHA standards require respiratory protection. 

• For staff who come into routine contact with others, CDPH recommends the use of disposable 3-ply surgical masks, which are more effective than cloth face coverings. 20 

• In limited situations where a face covering cannot be used for pedagogical or developmental reasons, (e.g., communicating or assisting young children or those with special needs) a face shield with a drape (per CDPH guidelines) can be used instead of a face covering while in the classroom as long as the wearer maintains physical distance from others. Staff must return to wearing a face covering outside of the classroom. 

• Workers or other persons handling or serving food must use glovesin addition to face coverings. 

• Employers should consider where disposable glove use may be helpful to supplement frequent handwashing or use of hand sanitizer; examples are for workers who are screening others for symptoms or handling commonly touched items.
  

Stable Group Guidance Considerations by Grade Level

Stable groups provide a key mitigation layer in schools. A stable group is a group with fixed membership that stays together without mixing with any other groups for any activities. 

Guidance from other agencies, including the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sometimes refers to them as “cohorts”[1] or “pods.” 

Implementing stable groups of students and staff reduces the numbers of exposed individuals if COVID-19 is introduced into the group, decreases opportunities for exposure to or transmission of the virus; facilitates more efficient contact tracing in the event of a positive case; and allows for targeted testing and quarantine of a small group instead of potential schoolwide closures in the event of a positive case or cluster of cases.

How can an elementary school create stable groups? 

• Students can be placed into stable groups that stay together all day with their core teacher (and any aide or student teacher who is present). If there are counselors or teachers of electives, they should ideally be assigned to only one group or conduct their classes / counselingvirtually. 
  

[1] The CDC’s use of the term is different from the use of “cohort” within California’s guidance. “Cohort” is specifically defined in the Cohort Guidance as a group no larger than 16 individuals. To avoid any confusion, this guidance uses “stable group” instead of “cohort” for this concept.