The Los Angeles Unified School District is committed to providing high-quality, in-person education in the 2020-21 school year in a manner that safeguards the health of students, teachers and staff. To ensure the safest environment possible, Los Angeles Unified is working with a group of stakeholders and partners who are experts in their respective fields to conduct regular COVID-19 testing and community engagement for employees and students.

All employees and students will participate in baseline testing prior to the time schools reopen for in-person instruction. This sets a new standard in public education to help provide the foundation for the safest possible return by teachers and students to schools. In addition, testing will allow teachers to work from schools now as safely as possible if they wish to do so.

While we recommend the use of nasal swabs, anyone can request a saliva test at all test sites if they prefer. Both tests are what’s known as PCR tests, the gold standard for COVID-19 testing.

Los Angeles Unified has contracted with SummerBio and Clinical Reference Laboratory to provide test kits. Testing teams will include a healthcare provider and support staff to provide the safest possible environment for efficient testing.

There is no charge to Los Angeles Unified students or employees for COVID-19 testing.

Many partners have made this program possible, including UCLA, Stanford University, the Johns Hopkins University, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Health Net, Anthem Blue Cross, Microsoft, Clinical Reference Laboratory and SummerBio.

Los Angeles Unified has informed the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on all aspects of the testing program. Regulations require all positive cases to be reported to the department, which will be involved in the formal contact-tracing process for Los Angeles Unified employees or students who test positive for the virus.

The testing process is simple. You’ll receive a notice from your child’s principal (for students) or immediate supervisor (for employees) that it’s time to be tested. You’ll make an appointment online, using a phone or computer (including the one Los Angeles Unified has provided), at one of the many schools where testing is being provided.

There’s a quick check-in upon arrival at the testing site and a clinician will be there to help oversee the process.

The test is free and the process should take less than 10 minutes, start to finish. You’ll receive the test result within 24-36 hours via text and email.

All results are kept confidential and stored in a separate, secure database. Information will be shared only with the appropriate scientists, administrators and health authorities.

Los Angeles Unified will follow precautions prescribed by public health agencies. All testing staff will perform hand hygiene before testing and wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This includes an N95 mask, face shield, gloves and medical gown for healthcare staff assisting with specimen collection, and face masks and additional items for other team members.

All PPE and other testing-related materials will be properly disposed of once testing is completed, followed by additional hand hygiene.

Hand sanitizer is available to everyone who participates in testing, and the testing team has access to a handwashing facility with soap and water.

Employees and students must provide consent before testing can be conducted. Students who are at least 18 can provide their own consent. A parent/guardian must provide consent for younger students. An online consent form will be provided as part of the appointment process.

Yes. You may reschedule at http://achieve.lausd.net/covidtestingappt

The Los Angeles Unified help desk can provide assistance from 6am to 6pm Monday through Saturday. Families can call (213) 443-1300 and staff can call (213) 241-2700.

Yes. Results must be valid and submitted within 3 days of taking the test. Employees should email their results to CE@lausd.net or fax to (213) 241-8919.

Staff working at any COVID-19 Testing Center or any childcare program must be tested and have a negative result before reporting to work. For subsequent tests, staff will continue to report to their assigned site while they await test results. All other staff will continue to report to work while they await test results.

An employee or student tests positive will receive a link to view their test result via text and email, along with instructions to isolate immediately. The district’s Community Engagement Team will call the individual the same day to provide isolation instructions. The team will also contact household members, coworkers and students who may have been in contact with the individual who tested positive to provide quarantine instructions and refer them for a COVID-19 test. Details of the case and the list of those exposed will be referred to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health which may conduct further contact tracing.

The following instructions for home isolation will be provided:

• Stay home until at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared and there is no fever for at least 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication).
• Anyone who has a condition that severely weakens the immune system may need to stay home for longer than 10 days. Consult with your healthcare provider.
• Symptoms have improved (for example, cough or shortness of breath).
• A person who has tested positive should not be tested again for at least 3 months in order to avoid a false-positive result.

If you tested positive for COVID-19 but never had any symptoms:

• You must stay home for 10 days after the test was taken
• If you develop symptoms, you need to follow the instructions above

Los Angeles Unified will offer testing for household members who may have been exposed to prevent the spread of the virus. In accordance with guidance from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, contact tracing will be conducted for individuals who have tested positive.
Regulations require all positive cases to be reported to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

More information is available at these websites:

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/covidquarantine/
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/covidisolation/

You should schedule an appointment for a new test as soon as possible at http://achieve.lausd.net/covidtestingappt

Test results should be available in 24-36 hours after the test is taken.

An employee or student will not require a doctor’s note, Public Health clearance or a negative COVID-19 test in order to return to work or school. However, employees and students will require clearance from the Community Engagement Team to return to work or school after completing the isolation period.

Employees and students who have tested positive for COVID-19 and completed their isolation period should not take another COVID-19 test for 90 days because of the possibility of a false-positive result. An individual who has recovered from COVID-19 may have low levels of virus in their bodies for up to 3 months and may continue to test positive although they are not contagious.

More information is available here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/end-home-isolation.html

Employees who are absent due to COVID-19 must utilize benefits under the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and/or use the appropriate benefit time to continue to be paid.

For instances in which there is no meaningful work for employees who are able and willing to work, the code MSND may be used upon determination by the division head. It is expected that instances such as these are the exception, as division heads will be expected to confer with other division heads to determine if there is work available to be performed.

Baseline and ongoing testing will be required for students and staff to return to schools. We encourage students and staff to participate in Los Angeles Unified’s program, which is free and is being offered at more than 40 sites around the district. They can also be tested by their own healthcare provider and then submit the results to the district within 3 days of testing.

That person should follow the home isolation or home quarantine guidelines from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, depending on whether or not they have symptoms. More information is available at these websites:


http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/covidquarantine/
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/covidisolation/

In early October, the district will be releasing a digital application called the Daily Pass, which was built for Los Angeles Unified by Microsoft that helps tie all the parts of the program together.

The App will be used by all employees, students and visitors to complete a daily health check required for admission to a campus or office. The daily health check will monitor for safe behaviors, physical wellness and potential exposure to the virus. Those who affirmatively complete the daily health check will receive a Daily Pass that can be used for admission to schools or District offices.

Individuals who do not have access to the App can complete the health survey at a school or office entrance.

Temperature checks will be implemented at all schools as an additional health screening tool.

The spread of COVID-19 in the Los Angeles area still far exceeds state guidelines governing the return of students to school campuses. The launch of the testing program allows the district to prepare for a smooth return to school campuses and for teachers and staff to return to schools and other district buildings more safely.

In addition to testing, Los Angeles Unified is implementing significant safety protocols.

Classrooms and facilities are electrostatically cleaned top to bottom, air filtration systems have been upgraded with the equivalent of N-95 membranes, personal protective equipment is provided to all individuals on the campus or in a classroom, and facilities have been reconfigured to keep all at a school a safer distance apart. When students return, they’ll be kept in small, stable cohorts. As additional safety practices are shown to be effective and appropriate for schools, Los Angeles Unified will incorporate those practices as well.

Any information shared with outside parties will be in full compliance with privacy laws and only with consent from any participant in the testing program.

Health authorities require those who have tested positive for COVID-19 to complete an “isolation” period; those who may have been exposed to COVID-19 and do not have symptoms of COVID-19 must complete a “quarantine” period. In practice, isolation and quarantine both mean to stay home and stay separated from others who have not been exposed to COVID-19.

Principals and supervisors will be informed of any employee who should not be admitted onto campus. The Daily Pass app will have the capability to link test results and display a QR code that will allow for admission by students, staff and families to school sites or offices.

No. A test result is personal health information and is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and an individual does not have to disclose test results. In October, the Daily Pass app will have the capability to link test results and display a QR code that will allow for admission to school sites or offices.

Baseline and ongoing testing will be required for students and staff to return to schools. We encourage students and staff to participate in Los Angeles Unified’s program, which is free and is being offered at more than 40 sites around the district.

Students who do not participate in the testing program will not be permitted to return to school for in-person learning and will be required to continue learning from home.

Yes, all Los Angeles Unified students and staff are included in the program.

Students and staff of independent charters may be included in the program if the charter school has elected to participate.


If a child is absent, the test can be rescheduled as soon as possible at http://achieve.lausd.net/covidtestingappt

Students who do not participate in the testing program will not be permitted to return to school for in-person learning and will be required to continue learning from home.