School-Based COVID-19 Identification & Notification

Guidance for Schools Responding to LPHA Capacity Needs Related to Contact Tracing

School districts are important partners with their Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs) in completing case investigations and contact tracing. While detailed guidance explains how to plan for COVID-19 scenarios in schools, questions still remain related to the role of school staff and how they can support contact notification when cases of COVID-19 appear in schools and districts.

Resources

• COVID-19 FAQs for School Staff When Speaking to Caregivers and Families
  
• Presentation Handout
• Oregon School Nurses Association COVID-19 Toolkit with Sample Logs, Processes and Resources
  
• Recording of the Training

As the return to school for the 2021-2022 school year draws near, it is a great time to review how districts collaborate with their Local Public Health Authority (LPHA) on contact tracing.

With the recent surge of cases due to the delta variant, all of our communities are scaling back up their systems to address a higher volume of COVID-19 cases. In the event that a positive case or outbreak of COVID-19 occurs at schools, it is important to know the steps to effectively communicate to your school community and report to the LPHA.

In April of 2021, ODE and OHA provided resources and partnered on a training for school staff on how to respond to COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in schools.

The training is designed specifically to equip school staff with the confidence, knowledge, tools and resources to:

• Understand how mitigating measures can reduce quarantines and ensure that students remain in school, and
• Conduct contact notification in partnership with their LPHA in the event that a case of COVID-19 is found in their school or in their district.

Training Dates and Times:

• Wednesday, August 18, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
• Monday, August 23, 2:00-4:30 p.m.

Please email us with any questions.