COVID 19 Health and Safety

Any student or staff member who tests positive for COVID-19 must isolate at home for at least five full days, regardless of vaccination status. They can return to school or work after five days of isolation if:

• They have no symptoms, or symptoms are improving, AND
• They’ve had no fever in the past 24 hours without fever-reducing medication

When they return after day 5, they:

• Must wear a mask or face shield with a drape during days 6-10, OR
• Test negative with an antigen or at-home test after day five to return without a mask. Testing after day 10 is not necessary.

If they can't wear a mask and do not test negative, they must continue to isolate and can return after day 10.

Students and staff exposed to someone with COVID-19 no longer need to quarantine, unless they have COVID-19 symptoms, regardless of their vaccination status.

Those potentially exposed to COVID-19 are encouraged to monitor for symptoms, consider a mask for 10 days after exposure, and get tested 3-5 days after exposure, regardless of vaccination status.

Those with symptoms should follow these steps to understand when to return to school. 

Tacoma Public Schools will continue to track and report positive cases to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, but the contact tracing that used to follow that case reporting is no longer required.

We will notify families with students who were potentially exposed at school. We will also continue to notify our staff if they were exposed or potentially exposed at work. Notifications will come in an email.

Tracking chart

We will notify families with students who were potentially exposed at school. We will also continue to notify our staff if they were exposed or potentially exposed at work. Notifications will come in an email.

• All Tacoma Public School students will periodically have the opportunity to receive a box containing two iHealth COVID-19 rapid tests at school. These tests are intended to support the health and safety of our community by providing results at home, as soon as symptoms are detected. (Staff will receive two tests as well.) Tests are voluntary. 
  
  Please note, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an extended shelf-life for iHealth tests. If you have a test with an expiration date prior to Sept. 29, 2022, you can use them for an additional three months past the printed date as long as the quality control indicator on the test is still working. Get more information on shelf-life extensions.
   
• Students have access to, “Let’s Get Checked,” a free, at-home test kit that students can bring home from school. Parents can request a test at the school's front office. After students bring the test home and complete it, parents or guardians register online and mail in the test sample with a free UPS shipping label. Results are provided by email or text within 24 to 72 hours. Results are lab verified and may be used when a student needs proof of a negative test result to return to school.
  
  This free, nasal swab test can be used by student who do or don’t have symptoms of COVID-19. Home Coronavirus Test. A Safe COVID-19 Testing Kit (letsgetchecked.com)
   
• TPS students, staff and their immediate family members can take a free rapid antigen test at one of three walk-in clinics at a TPS site. No appointment is needed, and insurance and ID are not required. Test results are available online within 15 to 20 minutes; participants will receive an email message with a link to the results.
  
  Testing sites, summer hours: 
  • Madison Early Learning Center, 3101 S. 43^rd St, Tacoma. Open from 1-5 p.m., Monday-Thursday.
  • Baker Middle School, 8001 S. J St, Tacoma. Open from 1-5 p.m., Monday-Thursday
  • Silas High School, 1202 N. Orchard St., Tacoma. Open from 1-5 p.m., Monday-Thursday. (Park in the student parking lot off N. 14th & N. Orchard. Enter cafeteria for testing, through the back parking lot.)  
    
    save time: complete the 
    test registration
• TPS staff members can take a PCR, diagnostic, take-home test (Everlywell) as well as get tested at the Madison Early Learning Center.

Students: A COVID-19 vaccine is not required for students to attend school at this time. However, there are some required vaccines for school attendance.

TPS-sponsored COVID-19 Vaccination Events

Pierce County COVID-19 Vaccination Sites

Tacoma Public Schools offers vaccine events by working with community partners.

See a current list of vaccine opportunities at our schools here. 

School volunteers are required to be fully vaccinated or have a valid exemption as a condition for working on site with staff and students 

Acceptable forms of vaccination proof:

• Photo or photocopy of the volunteer’s CDC COVID-19 vaccination record card
• Documentation of vaccination from a health care provider or electronic health record
• State immunization information system record

Potential volunteers may submit for an exemption. All medical or religious exemptions must have an approved accommodation on file with Human Resources. Contact your school to learn more about this process. 

This flowchart created by the Washington State Department of Health shows the steps to follow when your child is sick. If a child has any symptom listed, they should stay home in the morning or go home if these symptoms first occur at school.

To keep others healthy, please keep your child home if they:

• Are sick
• Have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and have symptoms
• Have tested positive for COVID-19

Physical distancing is not required as of March 2022. 

Tacoma Public Schools conducts routine tests to ensure classrooms have the amount of air flow required by the state Department of Health. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department inspects all TPS sites every other year. If they discover an indoor air quality issue, TPS would get a recommendation to fix the identified issue within 30 days. The district has met and continues to meet or surpass state air quality requirements. 

Current efforts
In addition to routinely meeting or exceeding health department air quality standards, as determined by routine health department inspections, the district also:

• Changes air filters at least 3 times per year compared with the industry standard of twice per year
• Increased fresh air intake into the structures to maximize fresh air capacity at all sites
• Purchased two air monitoring devices identical to what the health department uses so the district can inspect between health department visits and respond to any staff concerns

New efforts
TPS is also working to modify school HVAC systems to reach state health department recommended (not required) modifications to meet even higher standards of air quality. All school sites will be updated to meet this higher recommended standard, unless they already meet the recommendation. This work will be funded with both bond and federal recovery dollars.

School Inspections performed are in accordance with the Washington State Board of Health Guide - Health & Safety Guide for K-12 Schools In Washington rules WAC 246-366-140 OSPI-DOH

Note: Due to district size and limited TPCHD personnel each Tacoma school student occupied site is inspected every other year.

School inspections will resume when TPCHD has personnel available - Inspections were stopped in March of 2020 due to Covid and resumed temporarily 1 year later in 2021.

School Inspections performed are in accordance with the Washington State Board of Health Guide - Health & Safety Guide for K-12 Schools In Washington rules WAC 246-366-140 OSPI-DOH

Ventilation - Retrofitting of older buildings is recommended but not required.

Schools kitchens, pools, intrusion sites, UST and modifications are inspected per a different appointment

Students who can’t attend school because they have COVID-19 will learn from home using lessons and support materials provided by their teachers. TPS has developed learning plans for various remote-learning scenarios, including small groups or entire classes, for students missing in-person school for up to 14 days.

No matter the scenario:

• Your school principal or teacher will notify you if your child must quarantine.
• Soon after, you’ll receive a learning plan from your child’s teacher.
• Elementary teachers will provide support in English Language Arts and math.
• Middle and high school teachers will provide support in all courses.
• All lessons will be in Schoology, the district’s online learning and collaboration tool.

Parents can also log into Schoology to see their child’s assignments and grades. If you have not yet received your unique parent log in code, contact your student’s school, teacher, or email our Schoology support team at SchoologySupport@tacoma.k12.wa.us.

If you have COVID-related questions, you can call 253-649-1240 to reach a call center nurse from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. The call center is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, through the end of the school year.