Those who would like to test during the February break, can join District and testing laboratory staff on Friday, February 25, 2022. Testing will be walk-up at Noddin Elementary, and open to all staff and students registered through Grapefruit. (If you participate in weekly testing, no need to reregister.) No appointment is required.
Location: Noddin Elementary School - 1755 Gilda Way, San Jose
Time: 9 AM to 3 PM
Community Testing PODs at Dartmouth and Union Middle Open
Mondays through Fridays: 7:00 am–7:00 pm
Saturdays: 9:00 am–5:00 pm
Sundays: 9:00 am–3:00 pm
The PODs will be open regular hours on President's Day and during the week of February Break.
Students and staff are not required to take a COVID test prior to returning after the February break. We will continue with Grapefruit no cost weekly testing in schools when we return after the break.
Earlier this week, California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly provided a statewide update on the progress of combating COVID-19 and the state’s plan for relaxing school masking mandates. He said the State will reassess COVID-19 data and conditions on Monday, February 28th to determine any future change to the statewide school masking requirement. The data and conditions include case rate, test positivity, hospitalizations, pediatric hospitalizations and vaccine rates.
Yesterday, Governor Newsom announced that California will shift to an “endemic” approach to COVID-19. This announcement was accompanied with the release of the California SMARTER Plan: The Next Phase of California’s COVID-19 Response.
While the plan does not specifically offer a pathway to lift masking in schools, it does call out “Education” with the goal of keeping schools open and children safely in classrooms for in-person instruction. The plan enables California to be fully prepared and respond to the changing nature of the pandemic while ensuring we have the necessary resources and capabilities in place. The Governor also announced the establishment of a new communication and community partnership unit that will address the mis-information and dis-information in our state. More information can be found at https://covid19.ca.gov/.
We continue to encourage improving our area’s vaccination rates among students as another layer of protection. To find a vaccination location, visit sccfreevax.org or calling 2-1-1.
Until the California Department of Public Health updates the guidance for schools, we will continue to follow the K-12 Guidance requirements from the CDPH regarding wearing masks indoors, frequent hygiene practices, monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms, and weekly COVID-19 testing. Masks continue to be optional outdoors on school campuses.
Please note, we will continue to keep you informed as guidance changes for schools. We anticipate being able to communicate an update to staff and families following the release of new CDPH guidance on February 28th. Until we receive new information, our guidance remains the same with masking indoors and optional outdoors on school campuses.