Berkeley Unified School District
COVID-19 Safety Plan
2024-2025 School Year
Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan
Updated July 30, 2024
El Plan de Seguridad COVID 2024-2025 está disponible en español aquí.
Free COVID Tests
U.S. households will be eligible to order 4 free at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests from the federal government at COVIDTests.gov beginning the end of September, 2024. According to information provided by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response(ASPR), tests will detect current COVID-19 variants and can be used through the end of the year.
Guidance
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has updated the “Public Health Guidance for TK–12 Schools and Child Care Settings to Support Safe In-Person Services and Mitigate the Spread of Communicable Diseases” for the 2024-25 School Year. The guidance continues to provide a general prevention strategy framework to reduce the spread of communicable disease and facilitate partnerships and coordination between local public health and education partners.
When To Report Positive COVID-19 Cases to BUSD
Student and staff COVID cases should only be reported to BUSD if the case was infectious while on campus or at a BUSD facility.
- NO SYMPTOMS = NO INFECTIOUS PERIOD: Do not report a case to BUSD if the individual did not experience symptoms. The case does not need to isolate but should take precautions including masking for five days (students) or 10 days (staff) and following good hygiene practices.
- SYMPTOMS = POSSIBLY INFECTIOUS AT BUSD: For the purpose of isolation and exclusion of confirmed cases, the COVID-19 Infectious Period for cases with symptoms is defined as from the day of symptom onset until 24 hours have passed with no fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications, AND symptoms are mild and improving. If this infectious period occurred while the case was at a BUSD facility or school, it should be reported.
Families can report student COVID cases using this form in either English or in Spanish.
After reporting a case, families should follow their school’s typical attendance procedures.
Staff can report a COVID case using this form. After reporting a case, and if they will be absent from work, they should follow standard district absence protocols.
AFTER TESTING POSITIVE for COVID-19
After Testing Positive AND When COVID-19 Symptoms are Present: Stay home until:
- You have not had a fever for 24 hours without using fever reducing medication AND
- Other COVID-19 symptoms are mild and improving
For a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection, CDPH recommends following the recommendations provided in CDC guidance: Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You’re Sick. This guidance recommends that when a case goes back to their normal activities, they take the added precautions including masking over the next 5 days and practicing good hygiene. Note that Cal/OSHA guidance requires staff cases to mask for ten days from the start of symptoms, or if no symptoms, from the date they tested positive.
CDPH recommends that, if you have symptoms and particularly if you are at risk for severe illness, you speak with a healthcare provider as soon as you test positive. Please also see this COVID-19 treatment information from CDPH.
The following CDC graphics help explain the timeline for returning to BUSD. However, Cal/OSHA requires staff to mask for 10 days from the start of symptoms, or if no symptoms, from the date they tested positive rather than the 5-day period in these graphics, which applies to students.
In this scenario, the case has a fever and other COVID symptoms.
In this scenario, the case has a fever but no other symptoms.
In this scenario, the case has symptoms that get better, but then after returning to normal activities with precautions, the case develops a fever and must again stay home until 24 hours have passed with no fever and no fever-reducing medication. At this point, the case can go about normal activities with added precautions.
Covid Questions can be directed to covidcase@berkeley.net
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR BUSD STAFF
The 2024 – 2025 BUSD COVID-19 Protection Program (CPP) can be read at this link.