Monitoring and Testing for COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

No documentation is required. However, all school staff and students are reminded to self-screen for COVID-19 before coming to school everyday, stay home when sick, and wash or sanitize hands frequently. 

The CDPH program increases access to no-cost, at-home COVID-19 antigen tests. SFUSD distributes tests provided through the CDPH testing program as we receive them.

COVID-19 testing is not required. SFDPH recommends usage of the distributed at-home tests when:

• Exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms
  • If your student gets sick with symptoms (like cough or fever), stay home and use your tests to see if it is COVID-19
• Returning to school from isolation on or after 5 days
• Returning to school after holidays, even if you are not symptomatic
• Exposed to someone with COVID-19

Students are not required to report their results. If your student is very sick: call 911, visit an emergency room, or call your doctor.

Depending on your student's test results, you might need to take action. 

If your student's test is negative

• If they feel well and have no COVID-19 symptoms, return to school.

If your student's test is positive

We strongly recommend following California Department of Public Health (CADPH) guidelines:

• Stay home for at least 5 days after start of symptoms (Day 0) or after date of first positive test (Day 0) if no symptoms).
• ​Isolation can end after Day 5 if:​​​​​​
  • ​Symptoms are not present, or are mild and im​​​​proving; AND
  • Student is fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication).
• ​If fever is present, isolation should be continued until 24 hours after fever resolves.
• No reporting to school site is required for positive student cases.

If your student's test results are unclear

• Retest at school or at a local testing site. Visit sfusd.edu/covid19testing for more information, including COVID-19 testing locations and schedule.

SFUSD will continue to offer Color self-swab test kits until March 17 at school sites and March 24 at central offices. The Color test results will be returned within 24 to 48 hours (estimate based on current rates of testing). We will transition to providing over-the-counter rapid antigen tests as we receive them from the California Department of Public Health.

If students or staff become symptomatic while on campus, or are identified as close contacts, all school sites have unmonitored self-swab Color kits that can be used and dropped off on the same day. 

Non-SFUSD Testing Options

Free and low-cost testing options:

• Get free rapid antigen tests for your household from www.covid.gov/tests.
• Find free or low-cost testing at pharmacies and community-based sites.
• Get free tests at San Francisco-run sites. If you have health insurance, the City will bill your insurance.
• If you have health insurance, your insurance must cover 8 home tests per person each month. Check your insurance company’s website to see how to get tests by pick up or reimbursement. 

For more information about COVID-19 testing, or to find a testing site near you, visit sf.gov/gettested or call SFDPH’s COVID Resource Center at 628-652-2700.

Learn how to register for at-home self-swab kits.

Color testing will end for school sites on March 17 and for central offices on March 24.

Parents/families will need to set up their own account first, then add their child as a "dependent." To add a dependent, you will need their student number.  Please check with your school to get the right student number (in Synergy and ParentVUE as "student no").  

If there is still an error: 

• Call Color support at (844) 352-6567 (Daily 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT) 
• Email mycovidtest@color.com and send them the student name, student number, parent email, and a screenshot of the error message.  

Get an overview of the different types of COVID-19 tests we offer.

At-home self-swab tests

Test results should typically be available within 1-3 days, and will be communicated via text message and the student’s email (for high school students only). Parents/guardians should list their personal phone number when registering in order to have test results sent to them.

If the number of tests submitted increases dramatically, getting test results may take a few days longer.

Students do not need to present COVID-19 test results to schools.

No. All students will be able to access in-person learning even if a family chooses not to have them participate in the COVID-19 testing. 

If you or your student has COVID-19 symptoms, we strongly recommend following California Department of Public Health guidelines. Symptoms include: fever greater than 100.4° F, chills, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, headache, new loss of smell or taste, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, body aches, fatigue, runny nose, congestion. View our When Someone Gets Sick page to learn what to do if a student is symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19.