Schools & Education
The County Office of Education and County Public Health Department continue to work with schools, other programs serving children and youth, and families to keep our schools safe and open for in-person learning and continued operation of programs serving children and youth in El Dorado County.
State of California Safe Schools for All Hub
California's Safe Schools for All Plan provides the support and accountability to establish a clear path to minimize in-school transmissions and enable, first, a phased return to in-person instruction, and then ongoing safe in-person instruction.
The Safe Schools For All Hub consolidates key resources and information related to COVID-19 and schools. New resources will be added to the Hub on a routine basis.
The most up to date guidance, key resources and information can be found on the CDPH Safe Schools For All Hub.
K-12 Face Coverings
CDPH K-12 Guidance requires that students wear masks while indoors on school campuses. Additional context and considerations are provided below.
El Dorado County's Guidance
El Dorado County Public Health has created a COVID-19 Response Document for Child Care, Pre-Schools, & K-12 Schools.
Reporting a Case of COVID-19 in the Education Program
When to Use the School Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT) :
Complete an intake form (instructions below) if a child, student or staff member in an Education program is diagnosed with COVID-19 and they fall into one of the categories below:
reported symptoms of COVID-19 while they were at work, school or on-site
developed symptoms of COVID-19 within 48 hours of being at work, school or on site
was diagnosed with COVID-19 without symptoms within 48 hours of being at work, school or on-site
Instructions for Filling out the Education Portal:
Please complete this SPOT Intake Form and submit information for each diagnosed case of COVID-19 in a child or student attending your school/program and for each diagnosed case of COVID-19 in a staff member working at your school/program.
Please include as much information as you can. As stated in the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California, 2021-22 School Year, K-12 schools are legally required to submit this report within 24 hours after learning of a positive case. The County of El Dorado Public Health Department also requires programs serving children and youth to submit this report within twenty-four hours after learning of a positive case.
If you do not have complete information within twenty-four hours, you must report the information that you were able to obtain. You may update the information you provide if you discover additional information after your initial report. The information you provide on this form will remain confidential and is not reported to law enforcement or immigration. Providing this information helps our local case investigation teams identify and slow the transmission of COVID-19 in our in-person education settings and the community. Thank you for your cooperation.
Please note, CDPH’s childcare guidance does not require reporting of single cases among staff and children to the local health department.
Resources for Parents
Safe Schools Parent Page (available in English & Spanish)
We understand the very real concerns parents may have about sending their children back to school for full in-person instruction after over a year of pandemic challenges. The Safe Schools Parent Page explains the steps that schools are taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This page provides parents with information about the school safety measures that protect the health and wellbeing of students while they are on campus, and the valuable role that in-person learning plays for children's social and emotional development.
Testing Resources for K-12 Schools, Summer Camps & Programs
K-12 Schools and Summer Camps/Programs (for K-12 aged children) are eligible to order over-the-counter COVID tests through the CDC. If you have previously applied and not heard anything back, please contact: schoolotc@cdph.ca.gov. To order tests, please access the CDC OTC Test Order Form - https://labsupport.powerappsportals.us/cdcotc/. The deadline to order these tests is June 17th, 2022.