On Feb. 16, officials from the L.A. County Department of Public Health (Public Health) announced that all elementary school campuses in the county could reopen for in-person instruction, effective immediately. The announcement came after the county coronavirus infection rate fell below an adjusted rate of 25 new daily cases per 100,000 residents for five consecutive days–meeting the reopening threshold. On Feb. 16, the adjusted case rate for L.A. County was 20, marking the first time in nearly a year that all elementary school students in the county were eligible to return to campus. The adjusted case rates must fall to seven cases or below per 100,000 in order for middle and high school campuses to reopen, however.
A safe return to the classroom requires face masks to be worn at all times in school by students and staff; smaller class sizes; an isolation room in place should someone on campus become symptomatic; multiple exits and entrances; contract tracing; temperature checks and daily health screenings; taping over water fountains; sanitizing and disinfecting schedules; contingency plans for full and partial school closures; 10-day quarantine requirements due to travel and more. Students in grades TK-2 must be assigned to stable groups–cohorts of up to 14 students and two supervising adults–that maintain stable membership and do not mix with other groups.
