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COVID-19 Information

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Safety Comes First


Our number one priority continues to be keeping students, staff, and families safe, healthy, and able to attend class each day.

Child and Parent

Scientifically Backed Safeguards

 

Our schools have implemented a robust assortment of safety measures to protect students, staff, and families, including a massive investment in air filtration and other equipment. In fact, San Diego Unified has installed MERV-8 and MERV-13 filters at 195 locations across the district - more than 7,250 filters in all - to upgrade filtration in classrooms and offices.

 

The measures we employ to keep our students and staff safe are based on guidance from the best medical experts available: nationally-recognized scientists and doctors from UC San Diego.

 

We'd like to make our families aware of the substantial measures that have been put in place to protect the safety of all students, faculty, and staff on our campuses this year, including:

  • Upgraded HVAC filtration from MERV 8 to a MERV 13 or HEPA filter, exceeding current requirements
  • Portable air purifiers for areas not served by a MERV or HEPA filter
  • Face masks strongly recommended indoors, with high grade N95, KN95, KF94 and 3-ply surgical masks available
  • Hand washing stations and cleaning wipes in multiple locations
  • A particulate sensor and CO2 monitor at each site for monitoring the school’s indoor air quality
  • Protocols in place for contact tracing, should it be necessary
  • An up-to-date COVID dashboard on our website
  • At-home testing kits available for all students and school staff 

Vaccines
 
San Diego Unified wants every school to be a place of great teaching and learning, safety and wellness. Vaccinations are a crucial part of the multi-layered protection against COVID-19, and getting your student vaccinated is one of the best ways to protect against the spread of the virus.

The latest vaccine recommendation from the CDC means the vast majority of students in kindergarten through high school are now eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, signaling a major step toward preventing the spread of the virus in our community and nationwide.

  

Student getting vaccine

We understand you may have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines for your children. Please click here for more information on the safety of the vaccinations. Families are encouraged to check with their healthcare providers about getting the vaccine as soon as possible. 

MyTurn.ca.gov offers information about getting a vaccine through walk-in and scheduled appointments. Click here for information on where to get a free vaccine elsewhere in the community.

Our community health partners plan to supplement vaccine availability by offering free vaccine clinics on school sites. Check here frequently for current schedules and updates. 

 

Testing
 

In addition to our other safety precautions, widely available testing provides an added layer of protection for our students, staff, and school communities. 


Students and staff who wish to test regularly, or as needed, may pick up free home test kits from their school or office. 


Following the latest guidance from the California Department of Public Health, students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 and are asymptomatic may remain in school or at work. Students and staff who test positive and are experiencing symptoms may return to work or school when they start to feel better, their symptoms are mild and improving, and they have not had a fever for 24 hours without fever reducing medications.

 

Masks

 

Masks are available for those who desire to use them at every district site.

thumbs up for masks

A variety of high-grade face masks continue to be available for students and staff, including disposable surgical masks and reusable KF94, KN95 and N95 masks.

We know that COVID-19 is here to stay. We have entered into a new phase of this virus. And thanks to our entire San Diego Unified community and our collective efforts throughout the pandemic, we have accessible at-home testing, districtwide mitigation strategies, vaccinations for COVID-19, and therapeutics available for treatment. Because of this, San Diego Unified is able to adjust to changing conditions.

Due to this new phase, we do not anticipate districtwide masking. This means we will not require districtwide masking if San Diego County enters the high tier in the CDC COVID-19 community level. Instead, we will utilize our school site metrics and county data to determine whether masking is needed at each school.

In the event that we need to consider districtwide masking, we will examine multiple measures that are reflective of school-based transmission, such as number of schools meeting individual site masking metrics, absences, and peer-reviewed studies. We will continue to make decisions in collaboration with our medical and science advisors.

students who test positive for COVID-19 are encouraged to wear a mask when around others indoors for 10 days from when they tested positive or until they have two negative tests taken one day apart. Staff members who test positive must continue to wear a mask through day 10 per CalOSHA guidelines. 

 

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