COVID FAQ’s

Testing of unvaccinated or undeclared employees and students will occur regularly throughout the school year. Valley Christian Schools will continue to provide free on-site testing to our community for screening and diagnostic purposes. Per a California department of public health directive on 8/11/2021 , all California school staff must be vaccinated or will be required to test weekly.

If a person is asymptomatic during quarantine, any FDA-approved diagnostic test is acceptable for evaluation of an individual's COVID-19 status, as noted in the CDPH testing guidance.

• This includes antigen diagnostic tests and PCR diagnostic tests.  
• PCR tests are preferred, but not required.  
• Collection of diagnostic specimens for asymptomatic persons during quarantine may occur in schools, healthcare settings, or other locations supervised by school or healthcare personnel.  
• Specimens may be processed at the point-of-care (POC) or in a laboratory.
• At home antigen tests may be used if the test is supervised by school personnel. In other words, you can bring your unopened test kit to school and your child’s test may be supervised by school staff personnel.
   

• A PCR diagnostic test by a lab is required for symptomatic individuals who have not tested or have received a negative at home antigen test.
• At home antigen tests may be used for COVID positive confirmation, but a negative at home antigen test would require a follow-up PCR test administered by a lab.

The parent should receive an email with the results approximately 24-48 hours from testing. If you don’t receive the email you may email National Labs at fieldservice@nationallabs.com  or call 1-800-800-6060.

• COVID 19-vaccines are effective. 
• They decrease the chances of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.  
• COVID-19 vaccines help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.  
• Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
• Fully vaccinated employees, and students may remain in school and avoid interruptions to in-person education, even if they are exposed to someone with COVID-19, so long as they remain without symptoms.  
• Fully vaccinated employees and students are not required to participate in routine diagnostic screening on campus.
• Any unvaccinated household members of a COVID positive case must quarantine at home for 10 days if exposed.
• Unvaccinated students may not attend extracurricular activities during modified quarantine.

We are still gathering data and will update when it is available.

This new VCS Safe Campus Testing Policy follows guidance from the Santa Clara County Public Health and the California Department of Public Health. Frequency is subject to modification based on the current VCS active case rate and our community's overall health and risk.

No, VCS is not mandating vaccinations but rather following the state recommendations of requiring periodic testing for unvaccinated students. VCS has always maintained that you, as the parent, are the primary authority, and it is Valley Christian's mission to support you. We encourage all of our families to seek medical advice from their primary health care provider to determine if a vaccine for COVID-19 is recommended for your child. 

We recognize that there are differing views regarding the efficacy of vaccinations. However, as an educational institution, we are responsible for following the current county and state guidelines, which recommend periodic testing of unvaccinated students who are more likely to contract COVID-19 than vaccinated persons. Accordingly, we are focusing our resources and testing program to reflect this disparity. Frequency is subject to modification based on the current VCS active case rate and our community's overall health and risk. Additionally, any vaccinated student or employee is allowed to test free of charge at any time. 

While we offer on-site testing at both campuses as a convenience to our families, no student is required to be tested on-site. If you choose to have your child tested elsewhere, please Submit Test Results by 4pm every Thursday during the required testing week.

All students and adults will wear facial masks when indoors on campus. Facial Masks are optional in outdoor settings. VCS is following the universal mask mandate for all individuals when indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Masks must adhere to the following requirements:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html

Masks are one of the most effective and simplest safety mitigation layers to prevent in-school transmission of COVID-19.  SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is primarily transmitted via airborne particles.  Masks limit the spread of the virus in the air from infected persons and protect others exposed to these particles. 

Universal masking indoors in K-12 schools is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and by the CDC in its Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools (updated July 27, 2021).  As the CDC noted: "CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place."

Universal masking prevents outbreaks and permits modified quarantine under certain conditions in K-12 settings, supporting more instructional time and minimizing missed school days for students.  Additionally, universal masking indoors is critical to enabling all schools to offer and provide full in-person instruction to all students without minimum physical distancing requirements at the outset of the school year. 

As noted by the CDC, COVID-19 prevention strategies in K-12 schools are designed to protect people who are not fully vaccinated.  Almost all K-6th graders are unvaccinated and will not be eligible for vaccines at the outset of the 2021-22 school year.  Additionally, although some 7-12th grade students will be fully vaccinated by the start of the school year, many will not.  As of July 22, 2021, less than 40% of Californians 12 to 17 years old were fully vaccinated. 

Requiring universal masking indoors in K-12 schools also takes into account a number of other key considerations: operational barriers of tracking vaccination status in order to monitor and enforce mask wearing; the potential for increased transmission due to circulating variants; and potential detrimental effects on students of differential mask policies, which include: potential stigma, bullying, and isolation of vaccinated OR unvaccinated students, depending on the culture and attitudes in the school or surrounding community.

CDPH will continue to assess conditions on an ongoing basis, and will determine no later than November 1, 2021, whether to update mask requirements or recommendations.  Indicators, conditions, and science review will include vaccination coverage status, in consideration of whether vaccines are available for children under 12, community case and hospitalization rates, outbreaks, and ongoing vaccine effectiveness against circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in alignment with the CDC-recommended indicators to guide K-12 school operations.

As per CDPH Guidance on Face Coverings, "persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a mask" as well as "persons who are hearing impaired" are exempt from mask requirements. 

Assessing for exemption due to a medical condition, mental health condition, disability that prevents wearing a mask, or hearing impairment is a medical determination and therefore must be made by a physician, nurse practitioner, or other licensed medical professional practicing under the license of a physician.  Self-attestation and parental attestation for mask exemptions due to the aforementioned conditions do not constitute medical determinations.

Additionally, per CDPH K-12 Guidance, "persons exempted from wearing a face covering due to a medical condition, must wear a non-restrictive alternative, such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge, as long as their condition permits it."

Yes. 
CDPH Face Coverings Guidance requires that everyone (regardless of vaccination status) use masks on school buses, including on buses operated by public and private school systems.  In addition, CDC's Order requiring the wearing of masks by all people on public transportation conveyances also includes school buses.  Passengers and drivers must wear a mask on school buses, including on buses operated by public and private school systems, subject to the exclusions and exemptions.  More information regarding the CDC Requirement for Face Masks on Public Transportation is available on the CDC's website. 

If students are participating in a school event or being supervised by school staff, face mask guidance for K-12 settings must be followed regardless of location.

As noted by the CDC, COVID-19 prevention strategies in K-12 schools are designed to protect people who are not fully vaccinated.  Many students will not be fully vaccinated by the start of the school year.  Due to the potential for increased spread from highly transmissible circulating variants and that face masks remain one of the most effective and simplest safety mitigation layers, adults – including those who are fully vaccinated – in K-12 school settings are required to mask when sharing indoor spaces with students.  Universal indoor masking of teachers, regardless of vaccination status, is also recommended by the CDC.

CDPH will continue to assess conditions on an ongoing basis, and will determine no later than November 1, 2021, whether to update mask requirements or recommendations.  Indicators, conditions, and science review will include vaccination coverage status, in consideration of whether vaccines are available for children under 12, community case and hospitalization rates, outbreaks, and ongoing vaccine effectiveness against circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in alignment with the CDC-recommended indicators to guide K-12 school operations.

An instructional letter is sent to the positive case. An exposure letter is sent to all identified close contacts. We report the positive case and all close contacts to the county and state.

The VCS COVID designee contacts the parent or employee for confirmation of positive COVID test and then the following things are collected:

1. Vaccination Status and Proof of Vaccination 
2. Date test collected
3. Date results received
4. Type of test specimen collected
5. Does the case have symptoms? If yes, when did they begin?
6. Was the case a close contact to another positive case. If yes, relationship to case.
7. Identify household contacts: siblings, parents
8. Identify non-household contacts: teachers , classmates, coaches, counselors, close friends, lunchmates, carpool, busing, extracurricular activities, sleepovers, chapel, connection group, after school hang-out etc.

After a  Positive Case is reported to VCS, the VCS Designee does the following:

1. Verifies the positive case
2. Sends isolation information to the positive case
3. Reports case to county and state agencies
4. Ensures all required cleaning protocols are completed, if needed
5. Performs contact tracing
6. Determines if close contacts occurred
7. Determines the type of quarantine for each close contact
8. Sends quarantine directions to close contacts
9. Reports close contacts to county and state agencies
10. Monitors test results and clears requests to return to campus
11. HR Administrator is notified of all employee positive cases and close contacts
12. HR Administrator contacts employee to discuss leave of absence options, if applicable

Yes, we have the ability to contact trace in classrooms, on teams, in extracurricular activities, and transportation. We do not contact trace on shuttles since the shuttle travel time is less than 15 minutes (number 8). All other contact tracing is done by seating charts or class activity rosters.