Once the district learns of an individual who has tested positive, these steps will be followed:

• Isolate individuals if present and advise of any public health instructions
• Consult with Santa Clara County Public Health Department (SCCPHD)
• Clean any affected areas
• Determine close contacts* within SCUSD
• Immediately notify anyone within SCUSD determined to have had close contact* and advise of any public health instructions
• Add positive cases to the district's dashboard**
• Follow any additional recommendations from SCCPHD

*Close contact is shared indoor airspace with a positive case while infectious for a period of more than 15 minutes cumulative within a 24-hour period.

All confirmed COVID-19 incidents related to Santa Clara Unified school sites and offices will be posted to this dashboard webpage.

**For the purposes of this dashboard: 

• SCUSD is counting all positive confirmed cases that were on campus during their infectious period. 

Other important notes related to dashboard data:

• The dashboard is updated each business day.
• Cases are added to the dashboard as a final step after all contact notifications have been sent.
• Cases appear on the dashboard using the date that they were last on campus; This often results in a case appearing on the dashboard in a different week than the contact notices were sent. 
• Information regarding individuals with COVID-19 symptoms, close contacts with someone who is COVID-19 positive, or individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus, is sensitive, confidential information and names will not be released to the public.
• SCUSD does not wait to notify close contacts upon the initial report of a positive case.

We follow the protocols outlined in the Santa Clara County Public Health Department (SCCPHD) guidelines for various covid related scenarios: 

• SCCPHD TK-12 and Child Care Decision Tree

Individual school closure is recommended based on the number of cases, the percentage of the teacher/students/staff that are positive for COVID-19, and following consultation with the Local Health Officer.  The following are the general parameters of when a school closure may occur.

• Individual school closure may be indicated when an outbreak occurs in 25% or more of a classroom  within a 14 day period or when at least 3 outbreaks (3 positive cases are defined as 1 outbreak) have occurred in the school AND more than 5% of the school population is infected
• The Local Health Officer may also determine school closure is warranted for other reasons, including results from public health investigation or other local epidemiological data.

However, after each instance of a positive COVID-19 test, local county public health is contacted and they will advise on school closure on a case-by-case basis.

Schools may typically reopen after 14 days and the following have occurred:

• Cleaning and disinfection
• Public health investigation
• Consultation with the local public health department

A superintendent may close a school district if 25% or more of schools in a district have closed due to COVID-19 within 14 days, and in consultation with the local public health department. 

Districts may typically reopen after 14 days, in consultation with the local public health department.