Contra Costa Elementary Schools Can Apply For Waivers To Reopen

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — Starting Wednesday, public and private elementary schools that serve transitional kindergarten through sixth grade in Contra Costa County can submit applications to resume in-person instruction at their campuses.

School districts will be asked to detail how they would safely conduct in-person classes and prevent the spread of coronavirus. Applications will go to the Contra Costa County Office of Education for an initial review before being sent to Contra Costa Health Services for further analysis.

In accordance with state guidelines, waivers may be granted "when requested by a local superintendent (or equivalent for charter or private schools), in consultation with labor, parent and community organizations. Local health officers must review local community epidemiological data, consider other public health interventions, and consult with the California Department of Public Health when considering a waiver request."

In a news release Tuesday, CCHS shared a safety-measure checklist developed with the County Office of Education. Here are the safety measures elementary schools must take in order to reopen:

• A plan for testing of students and staff with COVID symptoms. Schools must also show they have a plan for periodically testing asymptomatic staff members. Each school must identify a person to help CCHS with contact tracing efforts if there is a positive case.
• Showing how shared surfaces will be regularly cleaned and disinfected and how use of shared items will be minimized.
• Proper use of face coverings.
• How students will be kept in small, stable, groups with fixed membership that stay together for all activities (e.g., instruction, lunch, recess) and minimize/avoid contact with other groups.

Review by local and state officials will take approximately 10 days. The state will make the final decision to approve or deny requests. Schools in counties such as Contra Costa that are on the state's COVID-19 monitoring list can't reopen unless granted a waiver by local and state health officials.

"We feel like we’ve reached a point where it makes sense to consider requests from elementary schools to reopen," said Dr. Chris Farnitano, the health officer for Contra Costa County. "Our role will be to ensure that schools have a solid plan in place to protect their students and staff and show us how they will work with the health department when there is a case to prevent further spread of the virus."

The state outlined the waiver process for elementary schools two weeks ago. CCHS did not immediately begin accepting waiver applications because of the increasing prevalence of COVID-19 in our community at the time, county officials said Tuesday.

Since then, Farnitano said, the situation has stabilized enough to begin reviewing school-waiver applications. Case rates and COVID-related hospitalizations, for instance, have leveled off in August after spiking in July.

As of Tuesday, Contra Costa County has had 11,668 cumulative cases of coronavirus since the outbreak began in March. Ninety-eight patients were hospitalized for the virus in the county Tuesday, and 157 county residents have died from the virus.

County officials cautioned that while school districts are invited to apply, waiver requests may not be granted if the plan does not meet state or local health requirements, or if data show worsening conditions in the community.

Some districts may choose not to submit an application if they cannot meet the requirements outlined in local and state guidelines, the county said.

Middle schools and high schools were not eligible for the waivers as of Tuesday, according to the county.