TriCounty Health Department (TCHD) has advised Uintah School District that TCHD will follow the plan created by the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), which can be found in its entirety at https://epi.health.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/COVID-19_plan.pdf.
The state of Utah has also updated its K-12 School Recommendations, which can be found at https://coronavirus.utah.gov/education/.
Based on state law and guidance from public health officials, Uintah School District has implemented the following plan.
Management of K-12 Staff/Students Exposed to COVID-19
Management of COVID-19 exposures in a K-12 school will be a locally-driven response. Local health departments should work in close coordination with local education agencies to determine how to respond to exposures in the school and prevent further spread of the virus.
Under standard protocols, staff/students who are exposed to COVID-19 at school should quarantine at home for 10 days (or 7 days with a negative test). Local health authorities may choose alternatives to quarantine or require additional mitigation strategies in the school or classroom, such as allowing unvaccinated, exposed staff members and students to attend school/extracurricular activities in-person if:
- The exposed individual wears a mask at all times while at school during their 10-day quarantine period, or
- The exposed individual wears a mask at all times while at school for 7 days and then tests negative for COVID-19 on Day 7 and does not have any symptoms of COVID-19.
An individual is considered exposed if they meet the following criteria:
- Less than 6 feet distance from positive individual for 15 minutes or more
- Exposure occurred at least 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms or a positive test
Quarantine/Isolation Guidelines
Anyone testing positive will isolate for 10 days; longer if symptoms don’t improve.
Anyone exposed to a positive individual in school have the following options:
- Vaccinated or Confirmed Positive individuals may:
Return to school if fully vaccinated or if they provide a confirmed positive test in the last 90 days. If any symptoms develop, they should stay home and seek testing.
- Unvaccinated Individuals:
- Option A: No in-person attendance for 10 days; can test on day 7 and, if negative, return to school
- Option B: Wear a mask while attending school for 10 days; can test on day 7 and, if negative, stop wearing a mask
Anyone exposed to a positive individual in school while both are wearing a mask will not have to quarantine. (This is unlikely since we are NOT requiring masks.)
Household contacts are NOT eligible for the 7-day test and return option. Household and community exposures will be advised to contact TriCounty Health Department at 435-247-1156 for direction.
Threshold for School Outbreak
Utah Code Annotated 53G-9-210, which went into effect on May 28, 2021, establishes the case threshold in a school above which a school district is required to initiate a "test to stay program" for a school. The law also enacts provisions related to a "test to stay program," including provisions related to parental consent for COVID-19 testing for their student.
Excerpt from UCA 53G-9-210:
(3)(a) For purposes of determining whether a school has reached the school's case threshold, a student is included in positive cases for the school if the student:
(i) within the preceding 14 days:
(A) attended at least some in-person instruction at the school; and
(B) tested positive for COVID-19; and
(ii) did not receive the student's positive COVID-19 test results through regular periodic testing required to participate in LEA-sponsored athletics or another LEA-sponsored extracurricular activity.
(3)(b)(i) A school with 1,500 or more students meets the case threshold if at least 2% of the school's students meet the conditions described in Subsection (3)(a).
(ii) A school with fewer than 1,500 students meets the case threshold if 30 or more of the school's students meet the conditions described in Subsection (3)(a).
(4)(a) An LEA may not test a student for COVID-19 who is younger than 18 years old without the consent of the student's parent.
(b) An LEA may seek advance consent from a student's parent for future testing for COVID-19.
To read the full state code, visit: https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title53G/Chapter9/53G-9-S210.html?v=C53G-9-S210_2021032420210324.
Students who test negative as part of the “test to stay” protocol and who do not have any symptoms of COVID-19 can attend school in person.
Students who test positive must stay home. They may return to in-person learning after 10 days.
Students who did not participate in the “test to stay” protocol should stay home. They may return to in-person learning after 10 days.