Notify Health Officials and Close Contacts
- Per state and local laws and regulations, school administrators should notify local health officials, staff, and families immediately of any case of COVID-19 while maintaining confidentiality under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and FERPA or and other applicable laws and regulations.
A school might need to implement short-term building closure procedures.
- Inform those who have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay home and self-monitor for symptoms, and follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop. Maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and/or other applicable laws and regulations.
- A school might need to implement short-term building closure procedures if/when an infected person has been on campus during their infectious period and has close contact with others. If this happens, work with local public health officials to determine the next steps.
- One option is an initial short-term class suspension and cancellation of events and to allow time for local health officials to gain a better understanding of the COVID-19 situation and help the school determine appropriate next steps, including whether such a suspension needs to be extended to stop or slow the further spread of COVID-19.
- In situations where schools are cohorting students (e.g., in pods), administrators may choose to close the building in areas where others were exposed to the infected person.
- If local health officials do not recommend building or classroom closures, thoroughly cleaning the areas where the infected person spent significant time should be considered.
- Local health official recommendations whether to suspend school or events and the duration of such suspensions should be made on a case-by-case basis. Use the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 and taking into account local case-counts and the degree of ongoing transmission in the community.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
4-9. If local health officials do not recommend building or classroom closures after an infected person has been on campus, what preventative measures should be taken?
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