District News

Our relentless effort to effectively manage COVID-19 has taught us all to expect change. This week, another guidance update was released due to the Omicron variant surge.

On January 18th the District sent updated information to all families about California Department of Public Health’s revised guidance for TK-12 settings which identifies alternative approaches to contact tracing and quarantine. (If you  did not receive the notice, please contact your child’s school for a copy.)

Under this update, state and county public health officials tell us that, once-weekly testing may be implemented in lieu of traditional exposure notification and contact tracing. 

Our schools have offered weekly testing on campus since September. Through our partnership with Grapefruit Testing, the process is streamlined and provides quicker notice of COVID-positive test results for students enrolled in the program. Families who wish to enroll their students in the Grapefruit’s testing program will find the consent form here in English, and here in Spanish. 

Our primary aim is to keep schools open for students to attend and learn safely. According to our public health officials, for the majority of children, the risks from COVID-19 infection are outweighed by the known social and mental health harms of remote learning, even during the current Omicron surge.

We remain committed to protecting the health and well-being of our students and staff. We continue to  follow safety protocols, including masking and proper ventilation, to further reduce the risk of in-school COVID-19 transmission. We will continue to update our COVID-19 online dashboard and will provide updates to families when guidance from health officials changes. 

While the community spread continues, we appreciate your diligence in monitoring your students, keeping them home if they are symptomatic, and having them participate in weekly testing.

Late last week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) authorized using an at-home COVID19 antigen test to confirm that an individual is negative and able to return to school/work after the required isolation/quarantine period.

Essentially, the 5-day requirement for adults now also applies to grade TK-12 students. See the Decision Tree graphic below from CDPH. (No updates have been made for preschool-aged students at this time.)

Under this updated CDPH guidance, parents may use an at-home COVID19 test to verify that the student has tested negative on day 5 and is able to return to school. We will continue to use our modified quarantine on-site testing, but this gives our parents another option as well.

How to Report Test Results to School

On the day of the required negative COVID test to return to school, parents will need to send a photo of the negative test result that includes the student’s name and the date that the at-home test was administered. The photo should be emailed to the school office staff member in charge of attendance at your child’s school. (Email addresses for those staff members appear below.)

Please note, a positive at-home test means the student must stay home and follow quarantine requirements. 

Please report the positive result to your child’s school office staff indicated below.

• Blackford Elementary School DGarcia-mendoza [at] campbellusd.org
• Campbell School of Innovation kscheerer [at] campbellusd.org
• Capri Elementary School keshoff [at] campbellusd.org
• Forest Hill Elementary School dfigueira [at] campbellusd.org
• Lynhaven Elementary School BBarros [at] campbellusd.org
• Castlemont Elementary School BMurillo [at] campbellusd.org
• Marshall Lane Elementary School TUrrutia [at] campbellusd.org
• Monroe Middle School gbojorquez [at] campbellusd.org
• Rolling Hills Middle School SHoward [at] campbellusd.org
• Rosemary Elementary School mceron [at] campbellusd.org
• Sherman Oaks Community Charter School csighe [at] campbellusd.org
• Village School VPruitt [at] campbellusd.org

Tracking and Tracing Process

The omicron surge, combined with two weeks of Winter Break, led to a higher-than-usual number of exposure reports for our Tracking and Tracing team to process. Due to an increased volume of tests, there was also a delay in labs processing and getting results out. Additionally, the way we receive those reports directly impacts the speed with which the team can follow up. Reports coming from outside of school testing can be delayed in reaching the Tracking and Tracing team who then must begin the process of making home contact for required verification.

The more streamlined reporting process is through our on-site Grapefruit testing. The report goes to the school office, and the office staff reports it to the Tracking and Tracing team. The teams then follow up and communicate information out as quickly as possible.  

More COVID-19 Questions?

The Superintendent is presenting an update on our District’s COVID Mitigations at the Governing Board’s January 13 meeting. Also, the District’s COVID19 web page includes a link where you can find answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

This week, Campbell Union School District received a one-time supply of at-home COVID19 testing kits for student use. One testing kit containing two antigen tests will be given to each grade TK-8 student who is at school on Thursday, January 6th. 

The State provided the kits for our grade TK-8 students based on our October 2021 enrollment, which means the supply is limited. The State of California ramped up efforts to get students tested for COVID so they may attend in-person classes safely. 

We are also urging every eligible person to get the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. As has always been the case, California Dept. of Public Health K-12 Schools Guidance (in Section 10) recommends that individuals follow the general CDPH guidance regarding isolation. As stated in the now-updated general CDPH guidance: for “everyone, regardless of vaccination status, previous infection or lack of symptoms…Isolation can end after day 5 if symptoms are not present or are resolving and a diagnostic specimen collected on day 5 or later tests negative."

At school, we continue to monitor and follow requirements and recommendations from public health officials to reduce the virus transmission risks for our students and employees: on-site testing, wearing masks, maximized ventilation, good hand hygiene, and more. 

We rely on families to maintain precautions during non-school hours. If your student has cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms or tests positive for COVID, please keep the child at home and report the absence to the school office.

More Free Testing Available

Grapefruit Testing also provides a free, walk-up COVID19 testing site that is open to the public. It is located next to Monroe Middle School, at 1055 S. Monroe St., San Jose. The community testing site is open daily and into the evening. Click here for the schedule from Grapefruit Testing.

We understand that, due to demand, the line has been longer than usual, as is the case at many local testing sites. Also, we have learned that Grapefruit has added another lab in efforts to provide results within 24-72 hours. 

Free Vaccine Clinic This Saturday

There will be a free COVID vaccine clinic this Sat., Jan. 8, from 9AM to 3PM, at Rosemary School, 401 Hamilton Ave., in Campbell. Provided by the County of Santa Clara, these clinics are offering Pfizer first and second doses for both pediatric and adults, and Pfizer boosters will be available. More information here.

The success of the school-based COVID-19 testing program in Campbell Union School District (CUSD) has caught the attention of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). Our superintendent and leaders from Grapefruit Testing presented the program, now called Test-to-Stay, to  several AASA members in a Dec. 8 webinar. 

Launched in September 2021, CUSD was the first school district west of the Mississippi to create a partnership with this robust medical team to provide frequent and rapid school-day COVID-19 testing of students on campus and in the community.

“Our students were returning to full-day, in-person instruction,” said District Superintendent Shelly Viramontez. “We wanted to partner with experienced medical experts to set up a testing process that would assure families that their students and classmates would be monitored for exposure to COVID while freeing our teachers and staff to focus on instruction.” 

The district chose to partner with Grapefruit Testing to create a program that quickly identifies students and other individuals who need to quarantine so that everyone else can safely return to their daily tasks. The provision for modified quarantine testing allowed students who were a close contact and asymptomatic to stay in school with the timely testing process. The rapid response testing team in our district ensures that those students are tested on the required days, quickly confirming if they are COVID-free and making it possible for them to participate in school.

It was a struggle in the beginning, working through the logistics for scheduling and testing thousands of preschool through eighth grade students, some of whom are still learning to speak English. The team debriefed frequently to identify needs and modifications, including the addition of a third partner, Predicine, to smooth out the rough spots of on-site testing. Adding grant-funded trackers and tracers relieved an additional burden from district staff and improved notifications to parents.

In just a few months, the program now operates well and allows faculty, staff, and principals to focus on students’ educational needs while medical experts manage the health-related tasks. 

“Our students missed out on so much learning and socialization during school closures,” Viramontez said. “Developing a seamless system that takes minimal time away from instruction while ensuring students are safely attending school is essential. When we consider learning acceleration strategies, keeping students in school and learning is our best strategy.”