The California Department of Public Health on Jan. 12 updated its COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools to include new quarantine recommendations and introduce a group contact tracing approach that can be used by local educational agencies.

Student close contacts who have completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines or were previously infected with (laboratory confirmed) SARS-CoV-2 within the last 90 days should NOT quarantine if they do not have symptoms.

Student close contacts who have not completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines nor were previously infected with (laboratory confirmed) SARS-CoV-2 within the last 90 days may undergo a modified quarantine when both parties were wearing a mask, as required in K-12 indoor settings, and may continue to attend school if they:

• are asymptomatic;
• continue to appropriately mask, as required;
• undergo at least twice weekly testing during quarantine; and
• continue to quarantine for all extracurruriculars at school, including sports, and activities within the community setting.

CDPH has introduced another option in place of modified quarantine — “Group-Tracing Approach to Students Exposed to COVID-19 in a K-12 setting” — in an effort to allow for a quicker and broader response to cases identified in school settings, accomplishable through prompt notification, testing and isolation protocols. Group contact tracing is applicable to students who were in the same indoor air space as someone with COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes (within a 24 hour period). Key changes in contact tracing include that notification should occur to “groups” of exposed students (e.g., classmates, teammates, cohorts, etc.) rather than contact tracing to identify individual “close contacts” (e.g., those within 6 feet); and that exposed students, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status or prior infection, should get tested with at least one diagnostic test within three to five days after last exposure. Additional details can be found here: https://bit.ly/3GsJiCz.

Despite efforts at the state and federal levels to reduce time spent in quarantine, the rapid spread of COVID has forced schools throughout the country to make difficult decisions surrounding staffing in order to keep schools open. On Jan. 11, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a temporary executive order aimed at increasing staffing flexibility in response to shortages. The order, which took effect immediately and expires on March 31, allows LEAs to issue 30-day emergency substitute credentials without regard to whether the recipient has a pending credential or permit application, provided candidates have an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, pass a criminal background check and meeting the Basic Skills Requirement, which can be accomplished by passing the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST) or a number of other options summarized here: www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/basic-skills-requirement-(cl-667).

The order also lengthens the duration for which substitute teachers can be assigned to a single general education assignment from the current maximum of 60 days to the new limit of 120 days; permits student teachers to serve as teachers without the requirement that the student teacher be under the direct supervision of a certificated teacher in a classroom for purposes of calculating a school district’s average daily attendance for apportionment for each day; and continue existing financial incentives for retiree teachers.

The CDC updated several recommendations regarding vaccines in early January, including:

• Endorsing the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster for 12- to 15-year-olds and strengthening its recommendation that youth ages 12 to 17 receive a booster five months after their initial Pfizer vaccination series.
• Shortening the interval from six months to five months for those aged 16 and older who received the Pfizer COVID vaccine to receive their booster.
• Recommending an additional dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine for some immunocompromised children aged 5–11 years old to complete the primary series — a total of three doses.

The U.S. Department of Education released updated FAQs on allowable uses of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief and Governor’s Emergency Education Relief funding by state and LEAs and ESSER Maintenance of Equity Requirements.

In January, the Education Department announced a temporary joint action with the Department of Transportation to help address the shortage of school bus drivers across the country. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has given states the ability to waive the part of the commercial driver’s license skills test where applicants must identify engine components. The rest of the written and road test will still be required. The FMCSA waiver will expire March 31, 2022.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Jan. 7 additional funding to support nutritious school meal programs via adjusted school meal reimbursements.

Finally, the Federal Communications Commission launched the Affordable Connectivity Program — the $14.2 billion program successor to the Emergency Broadband Benefit, which has made internet access more affordable for nearly 9 million people during the pandemic so far. Eligible households can apply to the program and receive a discount of up to $30 a month for internet and up to $75 a month for households on qualifying tribal lands. Those eligible can also qualify for a one-time discount up to $100 toward buying a laptop, desktop computer or tablet from certain providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50. There are a handful of criteria to determine if a household is eligible for the new program, including if a student has received benefits from the free and reduced-price school breakfast or lunch program in recent academic years or if a student is receiving a federal Pell Grant in the current award year.