The COVID Response Team (CRT) is responsible for responding to all positive COVID-19 cases involving students or staff in District schools or offices. CRT staff are trained to support and advise District staff, families, and school communities with COVID-19 case investigation. The CRT is available by phone at 215-400-5454 and by email at coronavirusreport@philasd.org between the hours of 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday.

Personal Illness

All individuals who are sick are expected to stay home, and any student, staff member, or approved visitor who becomes sick with COVID-19 symptoms while in a District building should leave the premises.

Symptoms Suggestive of COVID-19 Illness

New symptoms that are not explained by a prior medical condition:

• Fever of 100.4℉ or greater
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• New or persistent cough
• New loss of taste or smell
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Employees

Employees should monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19, remain at home if one or more symptoms are present and test prior to returning to work. Employees are required to report if they test positive for COVID-19 to Employee Health Services by completing the Positive Covid-19 Notification Form. For more information or to report a positive test, employees may also contact Employee Health Services by phone at 215-400-4660 or by email at employeehealth@philasd.org between the hours of 8:00am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday.

Parents/Students

Parents/guardians should monitor their children for symptoms of COVID-19. If symptoms (noted above) are present or the student is COVID positive, the parent/guardian must keep the student at home and contact the school nurse for further instructions.

An employee or student who is exposed to a positive case of COVID-19 will be able to continue to attend work or school, and should take these precautions:

• Self-monitor, or parent-monitor, for symptoms of COVID-19.
• Wear a mask for 10 days after the last date of exposure, and ideally get rapid or molecular testing within 48 hours of last exposure and again at day 5 if not experiencing any symptoms. Masking should be maintained for 10 days.
• If symptoms associated with COVID-19 develop after exposure, isolate, get tested and report the results to Employee Health Services (for employees) or the school nurse or school administrator (for students).
• In the case of an outbreak, the need for school-wide testing will be determined in collaboration with PDPH and the District’s COVID Response Team.
  • Over the Counter (OTC) test kits will be offered to exposed students.

Consistent with both notification requirements for other communicable diseases and legal confidentiality, when a positive COVID-19 case is identified at a school or in an office building, the District will follow PDPH regulations for a reportable communicable disease. All District students and staff who have been potentially exposed during an outbreak will be notified.

An employee who develops symptoms suggestive of a COVID-19 illness while at work should leave work, following the appropriate protocols for alerting their supervisor. The employee should take a COVID-19 test. A COVID-19 test can be obtained through a healthcare provider (pharmacist, primary care provider, other testing site).

Rapid antigen and PCR tests are both acceptable and the guidance is the same for results of either test type.

An employee who tests positive for COVID-19 must:

• Notify the Employee Health Services by completing the Positive Covid-19 Notification Form immediately. Employees may also contact Employee Health Services by phone at 215-400-4660 between the hours of 8:00am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday or via email at employeehealth@philasd.org.
• Complete the Direct Quarantine Leave Form for paid leave eligibility.
• Adhere to the Return to Work Guidelines below.

Employees who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate themselves in accordance with current CDC and PDPH guidelines for a person infected with COVID-19.

When tested and determined to be COVID-19 positive, the employee must isolate at home for at least 5 days or until all of the following are true:

• 24 hours fever-free without use of fever reducing medication (Tylenol, Motrin, etc.),

AND

• symptoms are improving.

Employees may return to work on Day 6 but must wear a high-quality mask (N95 or KN95 recommended) until Day 10 from the start of symptoms or a positive test, whichever came first.

Note: The COVID-19 positive individual does NOT need a repeat COVID test or a doctor’s note in order to return to work.

Protocol for Sending a Student to the Health room from a Classroom

If a student develops symptoms of COVID-19 illness while at school, the following will occur:

Teacher’s Role

• Teacher will call the Health Room prior to sending the student and notify the nurse of the reason for the visit.
• The teacher will assign an adult to accompany the student to the Health room if age warrants accompaniment. The adult will present the student to the nurse and leave the Health room.

Nurse’s Role

• The nurse will perform prompt and appropriate assessment and documentation as per protocol.
• Parents/guardians will be given instructions for further care and students will be provided with OTC to test at home.

Administrator’s Role:

• Ensure the proper coding of the impacted students’ absences.
• Register students for Academy of Continued Education (ACE) if applicable.

When a Symptomatic Student Does Not Get Tested

The student will be sent home and remain home until all of the following are true:

• If symptom-free after 5 days of isolation, students may return to school but must wear a high-quality mask (N95 or KN95 recommended) for an additional 5 days.
• Students must also be fever free and off fever-reducing medications for 24 hours.

OR

• There is a documented alternative diagnosis by a healthcare provider AND standard return after illness criteria have been met.

Parents/guardians of a student with symptoms of COVID-19 will be required to pick the student up immediately and OTC tests will be provided for parents/guardians to administer at home.

When a student tests positive for COVID-19, the parent/guardian must:

• Notify the school nurse or school administrator.
• Adhere to the Return to School Guidelines below.

COVID-19 Response Team will:

• Provide COVID-19 communications to school administrators to distribute to the parent/guardian(s) of the affected student.

Return To School Guidelines

When tested and determined to be COVID-19 positive, the student will remain home until all of the following are true:

• If symptom-free after 5 days of isolation, students may return to school but must wear a high-quality mask (N95 or KN95 recommended) for an additional 5 days, AND
• the student has been fever-free for 24 hours without use of fever reducing medication (Tylenol, Motrin, etc.)

Note: The COVID-19 positive student does NOT need a repeat COVID test or a doctor’s note in order to return to school.

When symptomatic and determined to be COVID-19 negative by a rapid antigen test or PCR test, the student will remain home until:

• The student meets the school’s normal criteria for return after an illness which includes fever free, vomiting and diarrhea free for greater than 24 hours without medication

OR

• A clinician has evaluated the child and documented an alternative diagnosis and that the student may return to school.

When symptomatic but COVID-19 testing was not completed, the students will remain home until all of the following are true:

• If symptom-free after 5 days of isolation, students may return to school but must wear a high-quality mask (N95 or KN95 recommended) for an additional 5 days, AND
• 24 hours fever-free without use of fever reducing medication (Tylenol, Motrin, etc.),

OR

• A clinician has evaluated the student and documented an alternative diagnosis and that the student may return to school sooner than 5 days

Employees and students who require COVID-19 testing may use any of the following options:

• Use a home rapid antigen test
• Select from one of these COVID-19 testing sites located throughout the area
• Visit a healthcare provider

COVID-19 Testing Specific for Staff

Prescription plans cover COVID-19 antibody testing and Over the Counter tests in accordance with federal guidelines. Click Here for more information about the Over the Counter (OTC) test.

COVID-19 Testing Scenarios During an Outbreak

• Diagnostic Testing: If a student or staff member is a part of an outbreak, OTC tests may be distributed to exposed students and staff.
• Modified Test to Stay: Students exposed to COVID-19 and unable to participate in Mask to Stay due to a specific documented medical condition/disability will have the option to test to stay. This means students will be provided OTC tests and will test every 48 hours for 10 calendar days in order to remain in school during that time frame.

Individuals may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect themselves and others.

Masking will be optional for students and staff except:

• When determined necessary by PDPH to mitigate a classroom, school-wide, office-wide or department-wide outbreak.
• When a student or staff test positive for COVID-19 (see Return to School section above).

Students and staff exposed to COVID-19 are highly recommended to wear a mask for 10 days after their last date of exposure.

Accommodations for Students Who Are Unable to Wear a Mask Due to Medical Conditions or Other Reasons

• Students with the following conditions are eligible for accommodations, such as serial at-home COVID testing, in place of a mask. This list is not exhaustive. Additional requests will be considered on an individual basis.
  • Tracheostomies
  • Neuromuscular and other conditions that limit the ability to self-remove a mask
  • Autism
  • Hearing Impairment
  • Chronological young age
  • Developmental young age
  • Cognitive impairment
• Any student who cannot wear a mask due to 1) a medical condition, 2) mental health condition, 3) disability, or 4) inability to remove a mask without assistance are not required to wear face coverings.
• For any student that cannot wear a mask, the school IEP/504 team and/or school nurse should be contacted to assist with accommodations around mitigation efforts. For accommodations, the school may take additional precautions such as encouraging at-home COVID testing with OTC Rapid Antigen test.
• Parents and guardians can complete the Mask Accommodation Form and return to the school IEP/504 team and/or school nurse.