School Manual

• When they are in school, children benefit from important routines, structure, and support services.
•  Schools are essential for the economic health of communities. Schools give jobs to teachers and other employees and allow parents, guardians, and caregivers to be able to work.
• Schools provide critical psychological, mental and behavioral health (psychological counseling, mental and behavioral assessment) services to children who may not have access to these services outside of school.

• Schools provide age-appropriate instruction and support students’ academic development.
• In-person instruction allows teachers and students to communicate better. It also provides students with critical
  academic services which are not always available or accessible if students are not in school. Some examples of these services are
  school-based tutoring, special education, and other specialized learning supports.

• Social interaction for children in grades K-12 is important not only for emotional wellbeing, but also for children’s language, communication, social, and interpersonal skills.
• Schools provide part of children’s foundation for socialization. When children are out of school, they may be separated from their
  social network and peer-to-peer social support.
• Teachers are able to more actively participate in student learning and provide feedback.
• In-person instruction may be even more important for students with more learning needs. Children with disabilities may not have virtual access to the support they need, such as specialized instruction, related services, or any additional support required by their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 Plans.
• Students may also not have access virtually to quality English Language Learning (ELL).

• Some families may not be able to fully participate in distance learning because of computer and internet access issues or lack of support due to parent, guardian, or caregivers’ work schedules. Families may rely on school-based services that support their child’s academic success.
• The achievement gaps which existed before COVID-19 closures, such as disparities across income levels and racial and ethnic groups, could get worse and cause long-term effects on children’s educational outcomes, health, and the economic wellbeing of families and communities.
• Students who rely on key services, such as school food programs, special education and related services (speech and social work services, occupational therapy), and after school programs can’t access these programs and services when school buildings are closed.
• Students are put at greater risk for poor health and educational outcomes.

• Tell their parents or teacher if they feel sick or have symptoms of COVID-19.
• Stay home from school and other activities if they feel sick or have symptoms of COVID-19.
• Stay home from school and other activities (called isolation) if they test positive for COVID-19.
• Follow the quarantine guidance if they are exposed to someone with COVID-19.
• Wear a cloth face covering or mask at school.
• Practice physical distancing as much as possible.
• Wash their hands with soap and water often.

• Check their child for symptoms of COVID-19 every day before school.
• Take their child’s temperature every day before school. If their child has a temperature of 100.4º F (38º C) or higher, the child has a fever. If parents do not have a thermometer, they should check their child’s skin to see if it feels warm or is red, or ask if he or she have chills or are sweaty.
• Keep their child home from school if he or she feels sick or has symptoms of COVID-19.
• Follow the quarantine guidance if their child or anyone who lives in their home is exposed to someone with COVID-19.
• Before the school year starts, tell the school if their child has a health condition that puts him or her at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. The health department will call parents of students who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 if they are exposed at the school.
• Review and update their child’s plans (Individual Healthcare Plan, Individualized Education Plan, 504 plan) with the school.
• Help their child clean his or her cloth face covering or mask.

• Stay home from school or work if they feel sick or have symptoms of COVID-19.
• Follow the isolation guidance from the health department if they test positive for COVID-19.
• Follow the quarantine guidance if they are exposed to someone with COVID-19.
• Understand privacy laws and how these laws relate to any information the school is given by the health department.
• Know if you have a medical condition that puts you at higher risk for severe disease due to COVID-19.
• Provide a safe learning environment for students by following their school plan for reopening.
• Prepare curriculum plans in case they have to isolate or quarantine.
• Encourage students to wash their hands with soap and water often.
• Wear a cloth face covering or mask at school.
• Practice physical distancing as much as possible.

• Decide who the COVID-19 point of contact (POC) will be at the school. The POC will work with the health department on contact tracing in the school. It is a good idea for schools to have several employees who are trained as backups for this role. Provide any needed support or equipment to the POC so he or she can work with the local health department on contact tracing.
• Understand the privacy laws that protect student, teacher, and employee personally identifiable information (PII).
• Make sure all teachers, employees, and the school POC understand privacy laws and how these laws relate to any information the school is given by the health department. This includes privacy laws that protect students, teachers, and employees.
• Write and implement a plan for how to reopen the school and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• Provide a safe learning environment for students, teachers, and employees. This includes considering their emotional and social needs.
• Write a plan that addresses the needs of students, teachers, and employees at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. This plan may include how the school will handle parent requests for alternative learning arrangements, remote learning, and work re-assignments.
• Review plans (Individual Healthcare Plan, Individualized Education Plan, 504 plan) for students with special healthcare needs with the student’s parents and update care plans to help lower the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the school.
• Provide resources to parents and students who choose or need to continue remote learning.
• Wear a mask at school and work.

• Work with the local health department and school administrators to identify students, teachers, and employees who may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the school.
• Provide a list of students, teachers, and employees who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 to the health department when there is an exposure at the school. The health department will call parents of students, teachers, and employees who are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 if they are exposed at the school and to tell them what to do.
• Understand privacy laws and how these laws relate to any information the school is given by the health department. This includes privacy laws that protect students, teachers, and employees.
• Protect the privacy of the student, teacher, or employee who tests positive or is exposed to someone with COVID-19 as much as possible.
• Notify the parents of students, eligible students, teachers, and employees if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the school.
• Provide guidance on when and how to quarantine, check for symptoms, and when to get tested.
• Work with school administrators to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the school.

• Call students, teachers, and employees who test positive for COVID-19.
• Protect the privacy of the student, teacher, or employee who tests positive or is exposed to someone with COVID-19 as much as possible.
• Conduct a case investigation to find out if a person who tests positive was at school up to 2 days before he or she got sick or tested positive.
• Provide isolation guidance to students, teachers, and employees who test positive for COVID-19.
• Work closely with the POC and school administrators on contact tracing in the school.
• Get a list of students, teachers, and employees who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 from the POC.
• Call students, teachers, and employees who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 who were exposed.
• Provide quarantine guidance to students, teachers, and employees who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, as well as anyone living with a person who tests positive for COVID-19.
• Tell the POC at the school the names of students, teachers, or employees who have tested positive for COVID-19.
• Notify the POC when the student, teacher, or employee is no longer under isolation and can return to school.
• Provide guidance to the POC and school administrators on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the school.

• Everyone should wear a face covering when they can’t physical distance.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19.
• Follow quarantine and isolation guidelines if you test positive for or are exposed to COVID-19.
• Consider volunteering with community organizations to help families in your community without the resources necessary to quarantine or isolate.
• If you are an employer, follow the recommendations in the COVID-19 Business Manual to protect your employees and reduce the risk of exposure in your business.

If a student, teacher, or employee tests positive for COVID-19, he or she should isolate right away. This means the person needs to stay at home and away from other people as much as possible. The student, teacher, or employee should not go to school or work.

People who have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 are at an increased risk of getting infected and infecting others. Close contact means someone was closer than 6 feet or 2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) to a person who has COVID-19 for 15 minutes or longer. Contact tracing is how public health workers find the close contacts of someone who has COVID-19. Anyone who was in close contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19 should quarantine for 14 days.

Case investigation and contact tracing in schools (K-12) 2020-2021

Each school should have a COVID-19 point of contact (POC).

The POC works with the health department on contact tracing. The POC will notify eligible students, parents, teachers, and employees if they were exposed to COVID-19 at school.

Learn more about contact tracing

Quarantine is for people who may have been exposed to COVID-19, but aren’t sick yet. Isolation is for people who are sick or who have symptoms of COVID-19.

• More info on quarantine
• More info on isolation

Yes. The health department will notify the point of contact (POC) at the school if a student, teacher, or employee at the school tested positive for COVID-19. The POC will work closely with the health department on contact tracing.

The health department will notify the school point of contact (POC) when a student, teacher, or employee who works at the school or with students has finished his or her isolation and can return to school or work. This means the person can no longer spread the virus to other people.

The health department will only notify the school if the employee works at the school. If the employee does not work at a school or with students (for example, he or she works at a school district office), the employee may return to work after he or she has been fever-free for 24 hours and it has been at least 10 days since he or she first got sick or tested positive.

Schools should not require a COVID-19 test result, a doctor’s note, or a note from the health department for students, teachers, or employees who are sick to prove they are ill, qualify for sick leave, or to return to work or school. This places a burden on the healthcare and public health systems. Employers do not need a doctor’s note to get the tax credits under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

No. Studies show people may test positive long after they are infectious (sometimes more than 45 days after). This means a person who at one time was sick with COVID-19 could still test positive, even though he or she can’t spread the virus to other people anymore. This makes it hard for students, teachers, and employees to know when they can return to school or work if their school or employer requires a negative test result.

You should not ask students, teachers, and employees who are sick for a COVID-19 test result, a doctor’s note, or a note from the health department to prove they are ill, qualify for sick leave, or to come back to work. This places a burden on the healthcare and public health systems.

Students and employees may not have health insurance, access to a healthcare provider, or the financial means to get a doctor’s note or a negative test result.

Each school should have a point of contact (POC).

The POC works with the health department on contact tracing. The POC will notify eligible students, parents, teachers, and employees if they were exposed to COVID-19 at school.

Learn more about contact tracing at school

A close contact exposure means a person was closer than 6 feet or 2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) from someone who tested positive for COVID-19 for 15 minutes or longer.

Anyone who was in close contact with a person who has COVID-19 up to 2 days before he or she had symptoms or tested positive is considered exposed and should quarantine for 14 days.

Learn more about what close contact exposure means

The point of contact (POC) will work closely with the health department to determine who came into close contact at school with the person who tested positive.

The POC may need to talk with a teacher or coach to understand who a student was in close contact with. Sharing this information must be limited to the least number of school officials possible and each must be notified that the information is confidential and cannot be re-disclosed or shared with anyone else.

To protect the privacy of the person who tested positive as much as possible and help with contact tracing efforts, schools may want to consider.

The date of exposure is when the person who tested positive for COVID-19 was first considered infectious and could spread the virus to others. This date begins 2 days before the person had symptoms or tested positive. Anyone who came into close contact with the person who tested positive from the date of exposure until the person has ended isolation and is no longer considered infectious, is considered exposed to the virus. The health department will give the POC the date of exposure.

Questions the POC may need to ask to figure out who else was exposed at school.

Anyone who had a close contact exposure should quarantine for 14 days from the last time he or she was in close contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19.

Public health may recommend a person who was exposed to COVID-19 get tested. However, even if the test is negative, he or she must finish the 14-day quarantine.

If a person who is on quarantine develops symptoms of COVID-19, he or she should isolate and call a healthcare provider right away. He or she will need to be tested for COVID-19.

• The POC will work closely with the health department to find out the last time someone had close contact, 6 feet or 2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) with the person who tested positive for COVID-19.
• The person who was exposed should quarantine for 14 FULL days after the last time he or she had close contact with the person who tested positive.
• The quarantine should end at the same time of day the person started quarantine. For example, if the quarantine started at noon, he or she should stay quarantined until noon on day 14.
• See calendar example

*https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html

• Students who had an exposure to COVID-19 should quarantine at home for 14 days from the date of exposure. It does not matter if the student was exposed at school or in his or her personal life, the quarantine guidelines still apply.
• Parents need to check their child for symptoms of COVID-19 every day during the 14-day quarantine. If a student gets sick or develops symptoms of COVID-19 during quarantine, his or her parents should call a healthcare provider and get their child tested for COVID-19. Testing locations can be found at https://coronavirus.utah.gov/testing-locations/.
• Even if the student never gets sick or tests negative, he or she must finish the 14-day quarantine.
• Students and their parents need to take extra safety precautions during quarantine.
• See the safety precautions

• Teachers and employees who are exposed to COVID-19 should quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure. It does not matter where the teacher or employee was exposed, the quarantine guidelines still apply.
• Teachers and employees should check for symptoms of COVID-19 every day during the 14-day quarantine. If a teacher or employee gets sick or develops symptoms of COVID-19 during quarantine, he or she should call a healthcare provider and get tested for COVID-19. Testing locations can be found a https://coronavirus.utah.gov/testinglocations/.
• Even if the teacher or employee never gets sick or tests negative, he or she must finish the 14-day quarantine.
• Teachers and employees need to take extra safety precautions during quarantine.
• See the safety precautions

• If a student tests positive for COVID-19, the student will need to isolate at home. The student will not be able to go to school or participate in school sponsored extracurricular activities or sports.
• Anyone who was in close contact, 6 feet or 2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) with the student should quarantine at home for 14 days. This may include other students who sit closer than 6 feet from the student in class, other participants in events who were in close contact, or teachers and coaches. Even if the people who were exposed test negative for COVID-19, they should finish the 14-day quarantine.

• Schools should follow the specific requirements for extracurricular activities from the Utah High School Activities Association, Utah State Board of Education, and the Utah Color-Coded Phased Guidelines.
• We encourage everyone to do everything they can to make sure students have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities. These are additional ideas students, families, community members, schools, activity directors, coaches, and training staff may consider implementing.
• See the list of precautions to take

• Check for symptoms of COVID-19 every day, including taking your temperature if possible. If you do not have a thermometer, check your skin to see if it feels warm or looks red. A helpful booklet called, “What to do if you are on quarantine or self-isolation,” can be downloaded at https://coronavirus.utah.gov/protect-yourself/.
• Stay home and away from other people as much as possible. Do not go to school, work, extracurricular activities, religious services, family gatherings, or other activities until the 14-day quarantine is over.
• Wear a cloth face covering or mask if you need to leave your home for essential errands like getting groceries or to get medical care. Only leave your home if you have to.
• Limit the number of visitors to your home. This is especially important if you or someone you live with is at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
• Clean surfaces that are touched often (phones, doorknobs, light switches, toilet handles, sink handles, countertops, and anything metal).
• Wash hands with soap and water often. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol.
• Open the windows as much as you can to improve the ventilation and increase air exchanges in rooms.
• Do not share food or utensils with other people.
• Do not share personal items like a toothbrush with other people.

COVID-19 is spreading in many Utah communities. This means students, teachers, and employees are likely to be exposed to COVID-19 many times during the school year.

• See what to do if students, teachers, or employees are exposed to COVID-19 again (a new exposure).

*https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/contact-tracing/contact-tracing-plan/contact-tracing.html

• Right now, we don’t know if people who have recovered from COVID-19, or who have antibodies for it, are immune and protected from getting it again. Schools and employers should not require students, teachers, or employees to have an antibody test to come to school or work. Having your students, teachers, or employees get antibody testing may be expensive and does not tell you if he or she could spread the virus to other people.
• There has been some confusion about asymptomatic and presymptomatic spread and antibody testing. Asymptomatic means a person has COVID-19, but does not have any symptoms and will not develop symptoms later. Presymptomatic means a person has COVID-19, but has not developed symptoms yet. People can spread the virus without knowing they are sick or when they have very mild symptoms. People are infectious up to 2 days before they develop symptoms of COVID-19. Antibody tests are not the right test to find out if someone without symptoms has COVID-19 right now. A PCR or antigen test tells you if someone is infectious and sick with COVID-19 right now.
• If someone tests positive for COVID-19 antibodies, the person should get a PCR or antigen test to know if he or she is infectious right now and can spread the virus.
• If a student, teacher, or employee wants to get an antibody test, he or she will need to ask a healthcare provider to order the test. Antibody tests may also be available through private companies. There may be a cost for this test.

At this time, only people with 1 or more symptoms of COVID-19 are able to get tested in Utah. Public health may also tell someone who is not sick to get tested if he or she was exposed to the virus.

• Testing students, teachers, or employees who are asymptomatic can increase the chance of an inaccurate test result. It may also give a false sense of security. For example, if a person who is not sick or who does not have symptoms of COVID-19 was tested, he or she could test negative but then be exposed to COVID-19 later. The person may not realize he or she needs to be tested again and could spread the virus to other people without knowing it.
• If a person who was exposed to COVID-19 chooses to get tested, he or she should wait at least 5-7 days after their last exposure to get tested. This lets enough of the virus build up in his or her body to be detected by the test. Getting tested before this time may result in a false negative test result. This means the person tested negative but is really positive and can infect others with COVID-19. However, even if the test is negative, anyone exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 should remain quarantined for the full 14-day period.
• Some testing sites in Utah may not test people who are asymptomatic (this means they do not have symptoms), even if they were exposed to COVID-19. It’s always best to call a healthcare provider or testing site first, to make sure you are able to get tested.
• The decision about who can be tested for COVID-19 is made by a healthcare provider, the Utah Department of Health, and the health systems in Utah.

• No. If a student, teacher, or employee tests positive for COVID-19, the health department will tell the person how long to isolate. In some situations, the health department may also call the point of contact (POC) at the school to let him or her know the person who tested positive has finished their isolation and can return to school.
• Studies show people may test positive long after they are infectious (sometimes more than 45 days after). This means a person, who at one time was sick with COVID-19 could still test positive, even though he or she can’t spread the virus to other people anymore. This makes it hard for students, teachers, and employees to know when they can return to school or work if their school or employer requires a negative test result.
• You should not ask students, teachers, and employees who are sick for a COVID-19 test result, a doctor’s note, or a note from the health department to prove they are ill, qualify for sick leave, or to come back to work. This places a burden on the healthcare and public health systems.
• Students and employees may not have health insurance, access to a healthcare provider, or the financial means to get a doctor’s note or a negative test result.

• No. The Utah Department of Health does not recommend schools or employers require evidence of a negative test result to come back to work. This places a burden on the healthcare and public health systems.
• If a student, teacher, or employee has been asked by the health department to quarantine for 14 days because he or she was exposed to someone with COVID-19, the person should finish his or her quarantine even if the test result is negative.

The easiest way to protect students, teachers, and employees from COVID-19 is to ask any person who is sick to stay home and not come to school. Students may be afraid to miss school if they are sick, for fear of having their grades or citizenship grades lowered. Students may also be worried about falling behind in their classwork or they may not have the resources or support at home to do their schoolwork. Students may also not realize that even mild symptoms can mean they have COVID-19 and can spread the virus to others. It is important to review your school attendance policies. Consider a non-punitive attendance policy which allows students to stay home without the absence hurting their grades when they are sick, under isolation, or asked to quarantine. Make sure students know about the attendance policy so they aren’t afraid to stay home if they are sick.

• You may want to improve the engineering controls using the building ventilation system.
• See the list of recommendations

• You should give students, teachers, and employees a safe and healthy learning environment and workplace. You should find out where and how people might be exposed to COVID-19 in the school. You can find out if there are risks for students, teachers, and employees to be exposed to COVID-19 by doing a thorough COVID-19 hazard assessment of your school.
• You may want to hold a training for teachers and employees so they understand your school’s plan to reopen for in-person learning and what will be involved in the hazard assessment of your school. It is very important every employee understands what the school is doing and what they can do to keep the school safe.

•  Hold all meetings, trainings, and professional development virtually.
• Your employees know their jobs best. Consider having all employees complete a hazard assessment of their workspaces and work processes. Identifying and modifying spaces or processes used in your school that increase the chance a student, teacher, or employee may be exposed to COVID-19 is a critical part of your school’s COVID-19 response.
• Make sure everyone understands what poses a threat and why. Work together to come up with ways you can decrease the risk of COVID-19. Provide this training in plain language, if you can. Employees may have limited knowledge about COVID-19 and how it spreads and limited knowledge about eliminating workplace hazards. If you have employees whose preferred language is not English, you may want to provide this and other trainings in other languages.

• A COVID-19 hazard is something in the physical environment (workplace hazard) or in the way we do things (work process hazard) that increases our chances of being exposed to COVID-19. The best way to reduce exposure is to eliminate the hazard, if you can. However, many times it may be too costly to fix the problem. Even if you can’t eliminate the hazard completely, there are usually things you can do to reduce the risk. You can often reduce the risk of exposure with very simple modifications.
• The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) has 4 main health behaviors that reduce your risk of exposure to COVID-19. These 4 simple health behaviors reduce the risk of exposure in EVERY workplace, work process, situation, or scenario you may find yourself in. Keep these behaviors in mind as you respond to risks in your school or workplace.

* https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html

• Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water
• Physical distance
• Wear a face covering or mask
• Stay home if you are sick
• Learn more about these behaviors

•  Increase how often you clean surfaces and shared objects that are touched often (such as workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails, and doorknobs). This will reduce the risk of cross contamination. For example, clean before and after shifts or before and after employees use shared objects.
• Clean dirty surfaces with soap and water before you disinfect them.
• Always wear gloves and gowns recommended for the type of chemicals you use.
• You may need to wear extra PPE to clean and disinfect. This will depend on the product you are using and if there is enough ventilation in the place you are cleaning. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for each product you use.
• Give employees disposable disinfecting wipes so they can wipe down surfaces that are touched often before they use them (doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks, or other work tools and equipment)

When you clean soft (porous) surfaces like carpeted floor, rugs, and drapes, remove anything you can see that is dirty or might contaminate it. Vacuum before you use any type of cleaner. You can then use a cleaner meant for this type of surface.

After you clean:

• If the items can be washed in a washing machine, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to wash them. Use the warmest water setting you can for the items. Dry the items all the way.
• If items can’t be washed in a washing machine, use products made for porous surfaces that are EPA-approved for use against the virus that causes COVID-19.

When you clean electronics like tablets, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls, and ATM machines, remove anything you can see that is dirty or might contaminate it.

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for all cleaning and disinfection products.
• You may want to use wipeable covers for electronics.
• If you don’t have the manufacturer’s instructions, you may want to use alcohol-based wipes or sprays that have at least 70% alcohol to disinfect touch screens. Make sure you dry surfaces very well so liquids don’t pool.

• Do not shake dirty laundry. You do not want to spread the virus in the air.
• Use the manufacturer’s instructions when you wash items. Wash items on the warmest water setting you can use for the items. Dry them all the way. You can wash dirty laundry from someone who was sick with other people’s items.
• Clean and disinfect hampers or other carts used to carry laundry. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Do your regular cleaning on these areas. You do not need to disinfect them.

• Do not spray disinfectant on outdoor playgrounds. This is not a good use of your supplies because disinfecting outdoor equipment is not proven to reduce the risk of COVID-19.
• Clean high-touch surfaces made of plastic or metal often (grab bars, railings).
• You do not need to clean and disinfect wooden surfaces (play structures, benches, tables) or ground covers (mulch, sand).
• You should not disinfect sidewalks and roads. Spread of COVID-19 from these surfaces is very low.

The easiest way to protect your school is to ask sick employees to stay home. Many employees are scared to take time off if they are sick for fear of losing their job or income while they get better. Employees may also be scared to tell their employer if someone in their home has tested positive for COVID-19 or if they have come in close contact with someone who has tested positive.

Most people who test positive for COVID-19 will have symptoms of the disease. However, COVID-19 may also be spread by people who have very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. This means a person can have the virus and not even know it. This is why it is very important during the pandemic for employers to have sick leave policies that make employees feel safe to take time off if they are sick or should be quarantined.

Learn more about sick leave protocols

During the pandemic, make sure you have sick leave policies in place to protect all of your employees. If someone comes to work sick, he or she could spread illness to other employees. Make employees stay home when they are sick to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others.

• Review your sick leave and human resource policies. It is a good idea to add in a section about sick leave for reasons related to COVID-19.
• It is important to make sure employees understand sick leave policies so they don’t come to work sick.
• Your policies should give employees the leave they need to quarantine or isolate.
• Sick leave policies should let employees stay home to care for a sick family member or take care of children if school or childcare is closed.
• During the pandemic, you may want to give advances on future sick leave and allow employees to donate sick leave to each other.

• If you do not offer sick leave to some or all of your employees, you may want to make a non-punitive “emergency sick leave” policy. This means your policy should not punish employees for taking leave for reasons related to COVID-19.
• If you use other companies for contract or temporary employees, talk to them about how important it is for sick employees to stay home. You may want to ask them to use non-punitive leave policies.

A good example of a non-punitive emergency sick leave policy

An employer does not offer sick leave, but employees earn a certain amount of paid time off each pay period. The amount of paid time off is based on the hours they work each pay period. An employee tests positive for COVID-19 and must isolate at home. The employer lets the employee keep earning paid time off while the employee is on isolation, even though the employee is not working. A policy like this makes it more likely employees will stay home when they are sick, and not spread the virus to other employees.

If many teachers and employees get sick at one time, this can make it hard to keep your school open.

• Have a process or system for teachers and employees to report if they are sick. You can use this same process to let teachers and employees know about exposures to COVID-19 or transition to remote or hybrid learning.
• Cross-train employees to do essential functions. You need your workplace to operate even if key employees are absent.
• Plan to track and respond to absenteeism in the workplace. If many teachers and employees get sick, you may need to change your plan to make sure your school stays open.
• Plan for how you will operate if many teachers and employees are sick at one time or have sick family members to care for at home.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires certain employers to give employees paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for reasons related to COVID-19. Private employers with fewer than 500 employees get tax credits for the cost to give employees paid leave for reasons related to COVID-19.