COVID-19 Information & Resources

State-Mandated Requirements

• Full-time in-person learning available to all students
• COVID-19 vaccination for all school and district staff*
• Isolation of individuals showing COVID-19-like symptoms or testing positive
• Notification of families, staff and community of positive cases and potential exposure
• Access to diagnostic COVID-19 testing for students and staff
• Reporting positive cases in schools to local health district
• Face coverings in school health rooms and COVID-19 isolation rooms

Details on how RSD is limiting risks from COVID-19 in schools can be found in the Road To Recovery document.

*Staff must either verify their COVID-19 vaccination or request a medical or religious accommodation.

 

REMINDER: Please keep your child home if they are sick. This includes: an earache or severe headache; a fever of 100 degrees or more; a sore throat or swollen glands; a persistent cough or runny nose; skin rash or sores; inflammation of the eyes; nausea, vomiting or other stomach flu symptoms; painful swelling of any kind or another communicable disease. 

Parents/guardians will be contacted to pick up their student if they arrive at school with symptoms of illness.

Students may return to school following an illness when they meet the following: 

• No fever within the past 24 hours without use of fever reducing medications and their symptoms are gone or resolving; AND 
• Tested negative for COVID-19

COVID-19 Symptoms (not related to another condition)

• Fever (100.4 or higher)
• Chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Muscle/body aches
• Congestion
• Runny nose
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea (2 or more loose stools in 24 hours)
• Nausea or vomiting
• Loss of taste or smell
• Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing

A student, child, or staff who tests positive for COVID-19 is required to isolate at home, regardless of vaccination status. The isolation period is 10 full days from the start of symptoms or the date of positive test. 

The individual may return to school/work after 5 full days of isolation if:

• Their symptoms have improved or they are asymptomatic, AND
• They are without a fever for the past 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medications.

AND IF returning to school/work days 6-10, the individual is required to:

• Wear a well-fitted mask or face shield with a drape during days 6-10 of their isolation period, consistent with CDC guidance, OR
• Test negative with an antigen or at-home test any day after day 5 before returning without a mask. Testing beyond day 10 is not necessary.

If the individual is not able to wear a well-fitted mask or face shield with a drape, AND does not test negative, they are required to continue isolating through the end of their isolation period.

Testing Resources and Information

Benton-Franklin Health District COVID-19 Testing Site Locator

RSD schools will have COVID-19 tests available for students and staff for following scenarios:

• Student/staff member begins to show symptoms while at school or work
• Student/staff member is symptomatic and needs testing before attending school or reporting to work
• Student/staff member is participating in Test-To-Stay program following exposure to a positive case
• Student/staff member tested positive, is fever free, symptoms have improved, and is seeking testing on Day 5 of isolation to verify whether they may return to school or work on Day 6 following a negative test.

All testing provided through RSD is done with rapid antigen tests. Regardless of test result, students who have a temperature greater than 100 degrees or severe COVID-like symptoms will need to go home and return according to current guidance.

Testing is voluntary and tests will not be administered on students without prior parent/guardian notification and proper consent from the parent or legal guardians. To help facilitate the testing, families may complete the COVID-19 Testing Consent Form and return it to their child's school if the parents want their student to be tested if needed. Completed consent forms will be kept in the health room. Consent will be valid for the 2021-22 school year and can be revoked at any time.

If a student is feeling ill at school and has COVID-19-like symptoms, health staff will verify the student has written consent on file and make efforts to contact families before administering a rapid test. If a student does not have a written consent on file, a parent will be contacted to ask if they would still like to have their child tested. If yes, two school staff members must witness the verbal consent before the test is administered.

Test-To-Stay

The Test-To-Stay program allows individuals who are a close contact to a positive case to continue attending school or work onsite if they meet the following conditions:

• Eligibility requirements:
  • Between ages of 5-17 who have not competed primary vaccination series  
  • Individuals 18 and over who completed primary series but not the recommended booster shot when eligible;
  • Individuals who are not vaccinated or have not competed a primary vaccine series
• Must be able to wear a well-fitting mask; AND
• Are asymptomatic; AND
• Are tested at least twice during five days of at-school/work quarantine (testing should be done when notified of exposure and on day 5); AND
• May not participate in social gatherings, social activities.
• Students may participate in extracurricular activities at school, including sports, and can attend childcare or youth development.
• Must self-monitor and isolate immediately if any symptoms develop and get tested.
• Any positive tests result in isolation as indicated in guidance.

Students and staff members needing testing may be directed by school health room staff on when testing opportunities are offered by the district outside the school day.

Testing Consent Forms

Click on the links to download consent forms.

COVID-19 Testing Consent Permission Form (English)

COVID-19 Testing Consent Permission Form (Spanish)

Order At-Home Test Kits

Free at-home COVID-19 test kits are available to order through the Washington State Department of Health and the federal government. Test kits are limited per household. Order kits at the links below:

Say Yes! COVID Test

Covidtests.gov

 

Most commercial pharmacies such as Rite-Aid and Walgreens and those located in retailers such as Safeway/Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Walmart and Costco offer COVID-19 vaccinations at no charge. You can find information about vaccination events through the Benton-Franklin Health District website.

The district will share other vaccination opportunities in the community or hosted at schools as they are scheduled.

District and school leaders, with input from staff and the community, developed Our Road To Recovery to help students and families return to school. This plan includes additional and enhanced services to address learning loss, mitigate potential inequities facing students and their families and training for staff on how to connect and support students who may be struggling.

View Our Road To Recovery

Washington Department of Health (DOH) COVID-19 Requirements For K-12 Schools

Washington State DOH K-12 Activity Guidance FAQ’S - WIAA

U.S. Centers For Disease Control (CDC) Recommendations For K-12 Schools