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 on day 6 if:

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

Day 0 is the first day of symptoms. For those without symptoms, day 0 is the day of the positive 
test result. See the Isolation and Quarantine Calculator.

If students and staff choose to test again on days 6-10 and receive a positive result, they are 
required to isolate through day 10 and can return to school/work on day 11. 

Report a positive test
If your child tests positive for COVID-19, please let your school's Covid supervisor know (see school list at the bottom of this page) or log into our Compass/Family App to report the test result.

The Department of Health no longer requires students and staff exposed to COVID-19 to quarantine. 

People potentially exposed to COVID-19 should:

• Monitor for symptoms, AND
• Test as soon as possible after exposure and then repeat testing every 24-48 hours through at least the first 5 days after exposure AND
• Students, children, and staff who spend time indoors with individuals at risk for getting very sick with COVID-19 should wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days after exposure.

Tacoma Public Schools will continue to track and report positive cases to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

If your child tests positive for COVID-19, please let your school's Covid supervisor know (see school list at the bottom of this page) or log into our Compass/Family App to report the test result.

We will notify families through email of any COVID-19 outbreaks resulting in a potential exposure to their child at school.

We also maintain an online dashboard, updated weekly. 

• Each month, all Tacoma Public School students will 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. The change extends the effective shelf life from six months to 12 months. This means you add six months to the expiration date printed on the box.
   
• TPS students, staff and their immediate family members can take a free rapid antigen test at a walk-in clinic 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 for 2022-23 school year:
  • Baker Middle School, 8001 S. J St., Tacoma. Open from 3:30-6 p.m., Monday-Friday
  • Silas High School, 1202 N. Orchard St., Tacoma. Open from 3:30-6 p.m., Monday-Friday. Park in the student parking lot off N. 14th & N. Orchard. Enter cafeteria for testing, through the back parking lot.
    
    (For the 2022-23 school year, you must consent to and register for tests at the Baker and Silas sites, even if you completed the consent form last year.)
     
  • save time: complete the 
    test registration

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. 

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.