Testing Positive, Group Contact Tracing, and Quarantine FAQs

Students who test positive will be asked to immediately isolate at home for at least 5 days.

The student may return to school after 5 days have passed since symptoms began, even if symptoms began after the positive test as long as:

• Symptoms are getting better, and
• No fever for 24 hours, without taking medicines for fever like acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or naproxen (Aleve), and
• A negative test collected on or after Day 5.

If the child is not retested, they must stay home for 10 days after the start of symptoms and may return after the above three bullets are also true.

Yes, students will receive excused absences if they are missing school due to COVID-19 symptoms, if they have tested positive, or if they are quarantining. Families should conduct daily health screening with their children everyday before they come to school and students should stay home if they are sick to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

When there is a COVID-19 case, SFUSD will enact group contact tracing as a step to decrease the number of missed school days for students. When a positive case has been confirmed at school, the school community will receive a group tracing memo which outlines health and safety protocols associated with recommended testing.

It is recommended, but not required, that students and staff who receive the Group Tracing Memo get tested for COVID-19 three to five days after the exposure, or right away if they start to show symptoms. Students and staff should consider taking another test one week after the last test they took if they receive more than one Group Tracing Memo in a week.

Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate at home immediately and notify the SFUSD COVID Support Hotline at 415-660-9850 or covidreporting@sfusd.edu or their school site. They will receive a Positive Memo, which details testing, isolation, masking, and other requirements to return to school.

Yes, you may choose to keep your child home due to receiving a group tracing memo. Absences will be excused.

If a student chooses to quarantine, they should reach out to their school and request independent study. Independent study is a contract between home and school that aims to make sure learning continues during the time away. During quarantine, students are provided with asynchronous (independent learning) activities from their classroom teachers. This includes both digital and non digital assignments.