Schools & Childcare

Parents or guardians can submit exposure and symptom question answers by email, via an app, by submitting an online form or by another form of communication as decided by the program.

Note that for children attending Child Care that the temperature should be taken at home prior to arrival, and that programs should do a visual check once the student or child arrives.

Ask the parent to focus on whether the symptom is NEW and/or DIFFERENT from the child’s usual illness, or if the symptoms are UNEXPLAINED. Encourage the parent to trust their intuition. Here is an example:

The child has asthma. They often cough from exercise or allergies.

• Is the child’s cough worse than usual or sound unlike it usually does?NO, then this is not a new or different symptom.
• Is the child’s cough worse than usual or sound unlike it usually does? YES, then this cough is a new or different symptom.

If the parent or guardian did not check and report the child’s temperature before the child arrives at the program, then the program should take the child’s temperature with a “non-touch” thermometer. The screener should wear a mask and EITHER wear a face shield OR keep their face behind a plexiglass partition. Temperatures that are below 96°F (35.6°C) should be rechecked to ensure the reading is accurate.

If the child has a fever as defined above, send them home.

Note that if a thermometer requiring a touch-method (e.g. under the tongue or on the forehead) is the only type available, then it should only be used when a fever is suspected. These thermometers must be properly cleaned and disinfected after each use. The screener should:

1. Wear a new pair of disposable latex-free gloves for each temperature check with a touch thermometer.
2. Perform hand hygiene before putting on AND after removing and disposing of the gloves.

The visual check has no specific requirements. It allows a program to send a student or child home if they look sick when they arrive, even if the parent says they have no symptoms.

Look at the child for signs of:

• Illness like a cough
• Fatigue
• Extreme fussiness or irritability
• Difficulty breathing

If the student or child looks sick, send them home.

An exposure occurs when the student or child has had a close contact with a person inside or outside of the household who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or who has had a test confirming they have the virus. 

A quarantine period of 10 days is the minimum required by the County; however, 14 days of quarantine is still the safest option. Therefore, students and children ending quarantine before 14 days should adhere strictly to all recommended non-pharmaceutical interventions, including always wearing face coverings, maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from others, and monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms through Day 14.

Note that if the student or child has regular close contact with anyone at high risk for severe disease, then 14 days of quarantine is required. Quarantine instructions from ACPHD can be viewed here.

The student or child may return to the program after the following conditions have been met:

• At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, AND
  • There have been at least 24 hours with no fever, without the aid of taking medicines to lower the fever, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), AND
  • Other symptoms, such as cough or shortness of breath, are improving.

The student or child may return to the program before the 10 days of isolation have passed if they have not been tested, but have had a medical evaluation if the following conditions are met:

• Symptoms have resolved, AND
• A medical evaluator (a doctor, a nurse practitioner, or a certified physician assistant) provides a letter indicating that (1) an alternative diagnosis has been made and (2) the child’s symptoms are NOT due to COVID-19. For privacy reasons, the program is not allowed to require disclosure of the alternative diagnosis.

Please note: Sometimes a child’s symptoms are clearly due to another cause, such as strep throat or hand-foot-and-mouth disease. In this situation, the provider may clear a child to return to the program. This does not mean they do not have COVID-19. Many children with COVID-19 do not have any symptoms. An alternative diagnosis only means that a cause other than COVID-19 was found for symptoms that kept them from attending the program.

The student or child may return to the program if they have a negative COVID-19 test before the 10 days of isolation have passed if the following conditions are met:

• They are feeling better (symptoms do not have to be completely resolved), AND
• There have been at least 24 hours with no fever, without the aid of taking medicines to lower a fever, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), AND
• The child consults a medical evaluator (a doctor, a nurse practitioner, or a certified physician assistant) to determine the significance of their symptoms. The medical evaluator will need to provide a letter indicating that (1) the child’s symptoms are NOT due to COVID- 19, AND (2) the COVID-19 test was negative (the program is not allowed to require disclosure of the alternative diagnosis), BUT
• If it is not possible for the parent or guardian to consult a medical evaluator, they must obtain a COVID-19 negative test result indicating that a molecular test or a PCR was performed.

If the student or child was excluded from a program due to close contact with or household exposure to a COVID positive person, they may return after at least 10 days of quarantine following the last household contact or close contact with that person if they do not develop symptoms. If they develop symptoms of COVID-19 during quarantine, a COVID-19 test should be obtained.

Note that though a quarantine period of 10 days is the minimum required, 14 days of quarantine is still the safest option. Furthermore, all individuals ending quarantine before Day 14 should adhere strictly to all recommended non-pharmaceutical interventions, including wearing face coverings at all times, maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from others, and self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms through Day 14. 

Also note that if the student or child has regular close contact with anyone at high risk for severe disease, then 14 days of quarantine is required. For more information, please view the County’s Quarantine FAQ and the County’s Isolation infographic here.