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School Support
| Effective Sept. 1: Public Health Order requiring facial coverings in all individuals aged 2 years and older in schools and child care settings. Review the Order and frequently asked questions on our Public Health Order webpage. Complete our COVID-19 school masking form to report your concerns. |
CDPHE/CDC Guidance
On July 30, CDPHE provided new P-12 school guidelines to help teachers, students, and parents prepare for the coming school year, in line with recently released CDC school guidance.
Review School Guidance FAQ for Isolation and Quarantine.
Review who needs to quarantine for inside K-12 school setting.
Review who needs to quarantine for exposure outside school or child care setting.
Review guidance following a positive symptom screen: Return to Learn (for either school or child care)
School Leaders and Staff
This page is to support school leaders and staff. You can find parent resources on our page for Parents of School-Aged Children. Our school task force is working with local schools and district leaders in providing COVID-19 support and resources. Ask your questions such as information on reopening guidance and how to report a positive case in your school.
Contact Covidschools@tchd.org for all schools in Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas Counties. Continue to refer back to this page for updated information as things change often.
Parents and Guardians of School-Aged Children
We are working daily with schools and districts in Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas Counties to keep your kids healthy as they return to school this year. If you have a question or concern about your specific school, reach out to your school or district leaders for more information.
Free Well-Being Support Line Resource
Call or text the free Well-Being Support Line for all educators and school employees including ECE, K-12 programs, and higher education. This is provided by the University of ColoradoAnschutz Medical Campus.
The support line is available to any educator across the state including teachers, administrators, para-professionals, health care teams, and support staff.
Effective Sept. 1: Public Health Order requiring facial coverings in all individuals aged 2 years and older in schools and child care settings. Review the Order and frequently asked questions on our Public Health Order webpage. Complete our COVID-19 school masking form to report your concerns. |
Register to Attend Bi-Weekly Webinars for School Leaders
Register for the bi-weekly Zoom webinars. The webinars are hosted by our School Task Force to connect with school leaders in Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas counties, provide COVID-19 updates and answer questions.
Recording of Bi-Weekly Webinars
- Oct. 13: | Presentation Slides
- Sept. 29: Connecting with School District Leaders | Presentation Slides
- Sept. 15: Connecting with School District Leaders | Presentation Slides
- Sept.1: Masking requirements and isolation and quarantine review | Presentation slides
- Aug 18: School Leader Webinar | Presentation slides
- Aug 4: Back to School Webinar | Presentation slides
Additional Communications to School Leaders
Our School District Case and Testing Dashboard
The School District Case and Testing dashboard includes counts and rates for both cases and testing with the ability to filter by date range and age group. By default, the dashboard is filtered by all cases. Select the filter on the left side to narrow down the time period and the incidence rate.
CDPHE/CDC Guidance
On July 30, CDPHE provided new P-12 school guidelines to help teachers, students, and parents prepare for the coming school year, in line with recently released CDC school guidance.
General Guidance
- Children’s Hospital: Masks for Kids: What You Need to Know About Face Coverings English | Spanish
- Children’s Hospital: Q&A: Back to School in Year Two of the COVID Pandemic
- CDPHE: Practical Guide for Operationalizing CDC’s School Guidance
- CDPHE/CDE: Toolkit & Resources for 2021 School Guidance
- CDPHE/CDE: COVID-19 Learning Impacts Toolkit
- CDPHE: School and Childcare FAQ
- Get more information about the statewide mask order and other public health orders on our Public Health Order page.
Sports Guidance
Additional School Resources
- Masking in Child Care Guide, English | Spanish Healthy Child Care Colorado
- Practical Guide for Operationalizing CDC’s School Guidance, CDPHE
- Toolkit & Resources for 2021 School Guidance, CDPHE/CDE
- When to Quarantine, CDC
Our School District Case and Testing Dashboard
The School District Case and Testing dashboard includes counts and rates for both cases and testing with the ability to filter by date range and age group. By default, the dashboard is filtered by all cases. Select the filter on the left side to narrow down the time period and the incidence rate.
School Testing Information
2021-2022 CDPHE School Testing Plan
- For full information visit the CDPHE website.
- Full Service Rapid Antigen Testing (BinaxNOW) and Direct Ship Rapid Antigen Testing (BinaxNOW)
- Weekly frequency of testing
- Can be used more frequently to also include school events or high-risk exposure settings, but testing must still be made available to all students in these scenarios
Expiration Dates for BinaxNOW COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test by Abbott
Expiration dates of select Abbott BinaxNOW Covid-19 Antigen Tests have been extended by Abbott Labs with FDA approval. Please see the FDA letter explaining the matter, along with additional information and the affected lots and the new expiration dates
Point of Care Testing
- Schools that have CUE Health readers can still order more test kits through the portal which also includes the link to the toolkit
- If you believe your school would benefit from a CUE Health reader and a serial testing plan will not work for your unique situation, you may request a reader through CDPHE by emailing the schools team
Diagnostic Testing at School
- CDPHE is shipping BinaxNOW At-School bulk orders to be used specifically for diagnostic testing alongside a serial testing program, not for a homemade serial testing program.
- Same reporting portal, CLIA waiver, and training available as last year.
- For more information contact the emailing the schools team or order more test kits.
- Read the eMED message for parents who currently have BinaxNOW At-Home kits and want to use them for diagnostic testing at home
Health and Human Services Department School Testing Plan
- The regional vendor Battelle offers free pooled PCR testing to all students, staff and visitors and is available now
- Tests are self-sampled or proctored with trained personnel, and pools can be as small as five tests
- There is no minimum usage, frequency requirements, or maximum usage
- Results are reported in 24 hours, Quest is local lab, and positives must be resampled
- After this month positives will be retested in the lab and a second sample won’t be required
- For more information contact Orie Gilad, or visit their website
COVIDCheck Colorado School Testing Plan
- CCC offers free PCR serial testing to all K-12 schools with limited-to-no costs
- Test sample can be saliva or nasal swab
- Direct ship model where tests are mailed upon packaging, results returned within two days
- Proctor training is required
- The program can be running in one to two weeks
- The only cost is possible purchase of shipping and labeling equipment (barcode reader, laser jet printer, etc.)
- No minimum frequency in testing
- Results are reported to a specialized dashboard tailored for each school
- For program information contact Michelle Anderson, or visit their website
Ventilation Resources
- COVID Emerging Devices
- Ventilation, HVAC, and COVID-19 Risks, CDPHE
- Creating Healthy Indoor Air Quality in Schools, EPA
- Core Recommendations for Reducing Airborne Infectious Aerosol Exposure ASHRAE
- School Technical Resources ASHRAE
- Risk Reduction Strategies for Reopening Schools, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
School Signs for Download, Republish, and Share
These are signs for you to use at your school.
| Teachers | Preschool and Elementary | Middle School | High School |
|---|---|---|---|