My student just tested positive for COVID. Now what will their school do?

The new academic year has begun, and while schools still are dealing with the same issue of teaching through COVID-19 as they did the past two years, they are operating under different expectations and guidance from the state. 

Controlling the spread of the virus through contact tracing is still an important part of how schools will be able to stay open.

This year, Oregon's state guidance is much less rigid, giving more room for district-driven decisions.

Here's what families need to know about contact tracing, and how it's being handled in Eugene schools. 

What is contact tracing?

Contact tracing is a method to track the spread of a virus — in this case, COVID-19. When a person tests positive for COVID-19, people working in or alongside public health agencies identify others who may have been exposed to the virus based on when and how long they were with the person who tested positive and how physically distanced they were. The people possibly exposed are contacted so that they are aware and can take precautions.

When does it happen?

Public health officials, and now schools, will notify someone if they have been in close contact with someone who tested positive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies a "close contact" as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.

Are schools required to do it? 

Under the Oregon Department of Education's new framework for the school year, there are very few requirements, but a lot of recommendations or strong advisories. Schools are required to have masking and for all employees to be fully vaccinated, under direction of Gov. Kate Brown, for example.

School districts also still have to submit "communicable disease management plans," which have to include the procedure they will use to communicate with people about possible exposure to COVID-19, including through contact tracing.

ODE "strongly advises" schools should keep "a system for maintaining daily logs for each student/cohort for the purposes of contact tracing" and that the system should be made in consultation with a school or district nurse or a public health official. 

Who's in charge of it in schools? 

It varies depending on the school district.

Bethel and Eugene 4J school districts are working with Lane County Public Health to do contact tracing in their schools, with school and district administrators and health services (nurse) staff managing it.

4J's Human Resources Administrator Dawn Strong said in an August school board meeting the district hired a new staff member to help with contact tracing this year, so between that hire, administrators and nursing staff, there are at least four people focused on tracing. 

In Bethel, they are contracting with several retired district health staff, including nurses and health aides, to assist with contact tracing, spokesperson Alisha Dodds said. The district is accepting applications for more district nurses.

Will students have to quarantine, isolate? 

The short answer is, it depends.

Both Eugene school districts are following the same protocol to align with the county public health guidance. The guidance varies depending on how susceptible the people in question would be to the virus — in other words, whether they are vaccinated. 

Once someone is found to have COVID-19 in a school, people who had contact will likely have to stay home, at least for a short while, so parents should plan for that. 

This applies to students and staff in both districts.

"Contact tracing takes time, and all students in cohorts that had contact with a COVID-19 case may need to stay home for a day or two while contact tracing is conducted and close contacts are identified," 4J spokesperson Kerry Delf said. "This is especially likely at the middle and high school level, where students have multiple class periods and contact tracing is more complex."

School district contact tracers work to identify who was a close contact. If those people were unvaccinated and exposed to the infected person, they are directed to quarantine for 14 days from the last date of exposure.

Under current direction from Lane County Public Health, people who were exposed but are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 do not need to quarantine if they do not have symptoms and have not had a positive COVID-19 test, Delf said.

"However, they should monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days, and if symptoms develop they should isolate and seek testing." 

How will you be contacted?

At 4J school district, parents of students identified as having been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 will be contacted directly, typically by phone.

Parents of students in a cohort (e.g. classroom, bus route, athletic team) with a person with COVID will be notified by email.

4J also is tracking the cases identified in schools in an online dashboard on its website. 

Should families do anything?

If families realize their student is sick, they should not send the student to school. Families should also notify districts if their student is confirmed or presumed to have COVID-19, has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or is being tested for it due to symptoms.

Are schools taking part in any testing programs?

Bethel and Eugene also are participating in a free COVID-19 testing program put on by the University of Oregon and Oregon Health Authority. Students and families who opt in take the test kit home weekly, collect their saliva sample and return it to school on a designated day. From there, UO picks up the tests and takes them to its lab for testing.

More information on how to sign up for this testing program can be found on the districts' websites. 

What else are Eugene schools doing? 

On top of regular health and safety protocols such as masking, cohorting and physical distancing, the districts still are encouraging vaccination for people 12 and older as a major means to reduce spread. 

“Vaccination is the most powerful tool to keep students in school and engaged with school activities," said Kraig Sproles, Bethel superintendent. "We highly encourage families who have students ages 12 and older to get their students vaccinated.”

4J also is holding a parent information webinar at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20 to go over the district's safety protocols and other preventative measures. Those who want to submit a question to be answered during the webinar must submit at question to surveymonkey.com/r/5HFQBJZ by Sunday. 

Contact reporter Jordyn Brown at jbrown@registerguard.com or 541-246-4264, and follow her on Twitter @thejordynbrown and Instagram @registerguard. Support local journalism, subscribe to The Register-Guard.