During the COVID-19 epidemic, school districts have balanced the potential risk of COVID-19 transmission with the educational needs of K-12 students, who learn best in the classroom. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Department of Education (DOE) have issued Interim Guidance for K-12 School Reopening (03/23/2021). VDH recommends schools use the CDC Indicators for Dynamic School Decision-Making jointly with the Interim Guidance for K-12 School Reopening document to inform decisions about school operations with regard to COVID-19.
More information about schools and COVID-19 can be found on the VDH FAQs webpage and the DOE FAQs webpage.
Parents and students play an important role in preventing COVID-19 from entering schools and helping to slow transmission of COVID-19 in our communities. A checklist intended to help parents, guardians, and caregivers plan and prepare for the upcoming school year is available here. Other resources for parents include:
- VDH Guideline: When Should a Child Stay Home from School and/or Child Care? (4/26/21 - translations pending)
- VDH Guideline: When Should a Child Stay Home from School and/or Child Care? Infographics Only (4/26/21 - translations pending)
- VDH Algorithm for Evaluating a Child with COVID-19 Symptoms or Exposures
- Contact Tracing Process for K-12
- VDH Isolation and Quarantine - English
- VDH When to End Isolation or Quarantine (03/15/21)
- VDH COVID-19 Vaccine FAQ's (03/26/2021)
- VDH Executive Order Violation Reporting Tool
As communities and schools begin or continue to offer in-person K12 instruction, mitigation strategies are important both in school and in the surrounding community. VDH offers the following information to help assess the risk of certain activities and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
VDH Considerations for Recreational Sports
VDH Guidance for Performing Arts (04/23/21)
AAP Sports and Physical Activities Guidance (03/01/2021)
Printable and Resources for your classroom:
Additional Considerations for Students with Disabilities or Special Healthcare Needs:
A customized and individualized approach for COVID-19 may be necessary for some children and youth. Guidance for accommodations, modifications, and assistance for children and youth with disabilities and special healthcare needs can be found here.
Under the Additional Considerations for the Use of Cloth Face Coverings among K-12 Students heading, the CDC guidance on masks also contains information on masks for students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or rely on lip reading to communicate, students who have a disability, childhood mental health condition, or sensory concern, and students who are receiving one-on-one services or instruction.
The CDC provides guidance for direct service providers such as personal care attendants, direct support professionals, paraprofessionals, therapists, and others who may need to consider additional protective measures.
Worker Safety and Support
- CDC Strategies for Protecting K-12 Staff from COVID-19
- Virginia Department of Labor and Industry Final Standard for Infectious Disease Prevention
Resources on coping with stress and building resilience among the strong emotions surrounding workplace changes due to COVID-19.
Signage Toolkits
School Safety Signs:
- Signage Toolkit for Physical Distance Requirements:
- COVID-19 Signage Toolkit
Cleaning
- CDC Cleaning, Disinfection, and Hand Hygiene in Schools -- a Toolkit for School Administrators
- CDC Reopening guidance for cleaning and disinfection of schools
- CDC Cleaning your facility when someone has been diagnosed with COVID-19
Water Quality
If a building has been closed or unused for a period of time, there is an increased risk of exposure to hazards including Legionella bacteria and lead. Follow the EPA’s guidance for Water Quality in Closed/Reduced-use Buildings to reopen school buildings.
HVAC/Indoor Air Quality
More research is needed to determine how much of a role aerosol transmission plays in spreading COVID-19. Increasing ventilation in indoor spaces is one way to reduce potential spread by this route. The following resources offer information on how to reduce potential airborne risk of COVID-19.
- EPA Indoor Air and Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- EPA Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit
- CDC Ventilation in Schools and Childcare Programs
- CDC Ventilation in Buildings
- ASHRAE Guidance for Building Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- ASHRAE Technical Resources for the Reopening of Schools and Universities.
- AIHA Reopening Guidance for General Office Settings.
Many resources are available to school nurses, including resources specific to COVID-19, from professional organizations:
- The Virginia Association of School Nurses (VASN)
- The National Association of School Nurses (NASN)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- VDH infographic: an overview of the Core Principles for School Nurses
- VDH School Health Services
- Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) School Health Services
Information about public health practice for COVID-19
- CDC Information for School Nurses and Other Healthcare Personnel (HCP) Working in Schools and Child Care Settings
- CDC Interim Considerations for Testing for K-12 School Administrators and Public Health Officials (10/13/20)
- Role of VDH and K-12 Schools in COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Efforts (12/13/20)
- VDH Case Investigation and Contact Tracing for K-12 Schools (2/19/21)
- VDH Contact Tracing Overview
- VDH Isolation and Quarantine - What's the Difference Infographic (2/16/21)
- VDH When to End Isolation or Quarantine (3/15/21)
Information about school procedures during COVID-19
Health Screening
Families, faculty, and staff should self-monitor signs/symptoms of COVID-19 and stay home when ill. Health screenings can be achieved via different methods, and the CDC provides guidance to K-12 schools on COVID-19 symptom screening as part of a school reopening process.
- VDH Resources
- VDH When Should a Child Stay Home from School and/or Child Care? (4/26/21)
- VDH Algorithm for Evaluating a Child with COVID-19 Symptoms or Exposures (4/26/21)
- VDOE sample health screening
- VDOE sample health entrance questionnaires. Spanish version here
- CDC sample home health screening questionnaire for students
- VDH Health Screening, Monitoring, and Testing (2/24/21)
Immunization and School Physicals
- School Requirements – Immunization
- Back to School Immunization Tool Kit (NASN)
- CDC Immunization Tool Kit
- School Entrance Physicals Policy
- School Entrance Health Form- English Fillable
- School Entrance Health Form - Spanish Fillable
Infection Control
Current data suggest person-to-person transmission most commonly occurs during close exposure to a person infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.
CDC recommends that healthcare personnel in schools and child care settings, including school nurses, follow the Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel. VDH provides similar information about infection prevention in healthcare settings, found here.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Mask Considerations (CDC)*
- Using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Understanding the Difference Between Surgical Mask and N-95 Masks
- OSHA N-95 Fit Testing Videos
- Contact your Medical Reserve Corp unit regarding fit testing
- Considerations for children with asthma in schools during COVID-19 (search “asthma”)
Professional Development for School Nurses
- Sign up for NEW School Health/Nurse Listserv (2020-21) to receive the most updated school health information.
- COVID-19 Education Modules
- Professional Development for VA School Nurses
- COVID-19 Johns Hopkins Contact Tracing Course
- ASTHO Contact Tracing Course
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a rare but serious complication associated with COVID-19. In MIS-C, parts of the body can become inflamed, such as the heart, lungs, or gastrointestinal organs. While we don’t know exactly what causes MIS-C, many children with MIS-C had COVID-19 infection and it seems to develop a few weeks following infection. Prompt recognition and treatment are very important. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and other symptoms, including belly pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired.
Call your child’s doctor, nurse, or clinic right away if your child is showing symptoms of COVID-19 or MIS-C. Seek emergency care right away if your child is showing any of these emergency warning signs or other concerning signs: trouble breathing, chest pain or pressure that won’t away, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, bluish lips, nails, or face, severe belly pain.
Considerations for Opening Schools
- VDH Decision Matrix Guide for PreK-12 School Reopening
- VDH Algorithms for in-person instruction decision-making for PreK-5th grade and Middle School and High School
- Virginia's Executive Order Requirements for K-12 Public Schools
- U.S. Department of Education COVID-19 Handbook volume 1 and volume 2
- CDC checklist for school transmission prevention measures
- CDC considerations for Monitoring and Evaluating of Mitigation Strategies
- CDC considerations for operating Schools during COVID-19
- CDC strategies to encourage students to wear masks
- CDC Classroom Physical Distance
Public Health Guidance for Schools
- VDH Guidance for Performing Arts (04/23/21)
Reporting Requirements
The new COVID-19 standard adopted by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry requires all employers to report positive cases of COVID-19 to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).
COVID-19 case reports must be filed through the Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) online reporting portal. By using this portal, these case reports will ensure VDH and DOLI reporting compliance. The new online reporting portal allows employers to submit up to 10 COVID-19 positive cases.
Template Letters
Additional Resources
A tabletop training exercise developed in collaboration between VDH and DOE is a scenario-based training for K-12 schools. Links can be found here.
Communication and Signage
- The VDH Signage Toolkits for Businesses includes signage to promote hand hygiene, physical distancing, and to encourage mask use.
- CDC COVID-19 One-Stop Shop Communication Toolkits
- CDC COVID Related Videos/PSA's
- CDC Print-ready resources
- CDC Hygiene-related Posters
- Handwashing Activities for Children
Department of Education School Health Services COVID-19 Training:
- School Health Services Training about Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- School Health Services Training for Parents
- School Health Services Training for Students
- School Health Services Training for Nurses