COVID and Respiratory Virus Guidance for Students

SFUSD continues to follow current California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidance for preventing and managing COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses in school settings. Schools should use CDPH's Child Symptom Guidance when determining whether a student who is sick should remain at school or be sent home.

How can we help prevent COVID and other respiratory illnesses?

Recommended prevention strategies include: 

• Staying up to date with vaccinations
• Optimizing indoor air quality
• Use high quality and well-fitted face masks when needed
• Washing hands regularly and covering coughs and sneezes
• Staying home when sick

What should we do if a student is sick? 

See guidance from CDPH. 

Staying home when sick can lower the risk of spreading communicable diseases. When a student arrives with symptoms of illness or develops symptoms at school, the site must decide as to whether the child can remain on site. Schools should refer to CDPH guidance ​​when determining whether to send the child home (i.e., temporarily exclude) or allow them to remain on site. 

For respiratory illnesses, students should generally stay home until their symptoms are improving overall and they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication.

Many factors should be considered when making this decision, including how to limit the spread of diseases to others, while also limiting educational, social, and other losses that might occur due to absence.

Additional Resources:

• CDPH TK-12 guidance 

• Child symptom guidance