Updated mask guidelines

CCSD Statement regarding Governor Sisolak’s repeal of the mask mandate

The Clark County School District welcomes Governor Sisolak’s updated directive to end the statewide mask mandate for Nevada.

Beginning at the end of the school day today, February 10, 2022, masks will no longer be required on CCSD campuses, schools, or facilities but will remain required on school buses. Because COVID-19 continues, students and employees of CCSD can make the individual choice to continue masking.

At this time, all other COVID-19 mitigation measures remain in effect.

Given the communitywide spread of COVID-19, the Clark County School District (CCSD) is aware that the pandemic has impacted all our campuses. The District is working to ensure the health and safety of all our students and employees. 

In an effort to inform the public, the District established the COVID-19 Positive Cases dashboard.

The COVID-19 Positive Cases dashboard allows students, parents/guardians, employees, and the public to identify which schools and work locations have had or currently have positive COVID-19 cases. Cases displayed on the dashboard are cumulative lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases tracked since July 1, 2021, for students and employees.

The District works in collaboration with the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) to perform the necessary contact tracing for positive COVID-19 cases. A close contact is defined as someone within six feet of a contagious individual for a total of 15 minutes within a 24-hour period. Mask mitigation practices may be used to determine specific quarantine dates and exposures. Any students exposed through close contact need to quarantine for five days and wear a mask around others for an additional five days.

If you or your child are identified as having a close contact, you will be contacted directly. All others may be considered a low-risk exposure, similar to exposure in the community (e.g., shopping, gathering, or events).

The CCSD Quarantine and Isolation Guidance and the daily screener Parent/Guardian Guidance -Checking Your Student Before Leaving Home is available as a resource. CCSD reminds everyone that if they have symptoms (i.e., fever or chills, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, new loss of taste or smell, new or worsening headache, new or worsening muscle or body aches, new nasal congestion/runny nose, excessive tiredness, excessive loss of appetite, abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea), to please stay home.

The District has implemented mitigation strategies to limit risk to others. This includes cleaning and disinfecting schools and facilities and posting the expectations regarding social distancing, wearing personal protective equipment, and face masks. Individuals who may qualify for Test to Stay must meet the criteria outlined in the Test to Stay Program Eligibility Questionnaire and be willing to comply with the Test to Stay process.

All CCSD students and employees, please note the following updated guidance:

• Exposure to a person who tests positive for COVID-19 does not require a COVID-19 test to return to school and/or the work location, unless the individual is participating in the Test to Stay program. Any family may seek community testing at the available sites.
• It is vital for students, employees, and their families to continue screening for all COVID-19 symptoms.
• If any students are participating in outside activities, they must be diligent in following current, best-practice mitigation strategies for the safety of our students and employees.

Resources

• CCSD Health Services Website

• Southern Nevada Health District

Clark County School District (CCSD) students and employees will return to the classroom for in-person instruction Wednesday, January 19, 2022, following a five-day pause.

The pause allowed school employees to recuperate and gave nurses time to catch up on a backlog of calls to process COVID cases within the District. Through the pause, CCSD nurses with Health Services and Employee Health continued contacting employees and parents/guardians regarding COVID concerns to ensure they had the information needed to return to the classroom safely.

“We instituted this pause because of staffing shortages and to take advantage of the long weekend so our students, staff, and families could rest and recover,” CCSD Superintendent Dr. Jesus F. Jara said. “I applaud and thank all of the nurses who worked diligently throughout the weekend to contact and clear those with concerns to ensure they can safely and confidently return to the classroom on Wednesday.”

CCSD initiated the five-day pause due to the extreme staffing shortages based on the high number of positive COVID-19 cases. The District is adjusting the 2021-2022 District calendar to provide a five-day pause in alignment with the COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Guidance.

During the pause from January 14 – 18, 2022, CCSD COVID Central staff:

• Contacted 4057 parents/guardians; of those contacts, 2324 students can return to school. 1733 parents/guardians were contacted regarding their entry in the COVID-19 Parent/Guardian Hotline Request to return to school.

• Contacted 1409 employees, and of those contacts, 1068 were cleared to return to work.

Parents who need to speak with the Health Services Department regarding a COVID positive test or an exposure in the last five days can call the CCSD COVID-19

Parent/Guardian Hotline at 702-799-4322. The phone line will be open during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Employees who need to speak with the Employee Health Department can request a call through the Employee Health Call Request or by calling the Employee Health Line listed in the emocha Health app.

As a reminder, the five-day pause was possible because of a calendar shift made by CCSD. Students will now have classes on Monday, February 7, 2022, and Monday, April 25, 2022.

The State of Nevada released guidance regarding Directive 48 on January 7, 2022.

The Clark County School District is proud to announce that the revised recommendations for CCSD Quarantining and Isolation that were shared with our staff and families this week are in alignment with the state guidance.

Due to the high volume of calls to the CCSD COVID-19 Parent/Guardian Hotline at 702-799-4322, the District is providing a COVID-19 Parent/Guardian Hotline Submission for parents/guardians to complete, if they are unable to speak with personnel in the Health Services Department. The District is prioritizing these submissions and requests that one form is completed per student. The form will be open during regular business hours, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Clark County School District School (CCSD) students returned for face-to-face instruction on Wednesday, January 5, 2022. As we welcome back our students and staff for the second semester of the 2021-2022 school year, schools took proactive COVID-19 mitigation measures, including: 

Training for staff January 4, 2022 included: 

• Ensuring social distancing for all activities.
• Seating charts for students and staff for easier COVID tracing.
• Operations of Schools  
  • Ensured the well room and sick room are operational. 
  • Supplies are available, including first aid supplies and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the sick room, well room, and self-contained special education classrooms.
  • Ensure ample quantities of cleaning supplies. 
  • Ensure the R-Zero UV-C Arc Unit is utilized for disinfection at the school on a daily basis and when needed.

Mitigation measures in place for start of the second semester on Jan. 5, 2022 include:

• Parents/Guardians are reminded to check their children’s health before they leave for school. Click here for a checklist of common symptoms.
  • If parents/guardians have any questions, the CCSD COVID-19 Parent/Guardian Hotline is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and can be reached by calling (702) 799-4322. 
• Review of the Reopening Guidance website with latest revisions that include:
  • Updated COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Guidance
    • Quarantine decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, including consistent mask use, vaccination status of individuals, previous positive lab results in the last 90 days of an individual, etc. In order to facilitate quarantine decision making, seating charts are required for all classes. Generally, the following guidelines will apply:
      • Any student within three feet or less of an individual who tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of mask usage, will be quarantined according to the timelines below.
      • Any student between three to six feet of an individual who tests positive for COVID-19, may or may not be quarantined according to the timelines below, depending on a variety of information, including but not limited to, consistent mask usage, vaccination status, and previous positive result in the last 90 days.
      • If staff are less than six feet from an individual who tests positive for COVID-19, staff may or may not be quarantined according to the timelines below, depending on a variety of information, including but not limited to, consistent mask usage, vaccination status, and previous positive result in the last 90 days.
  • Daily mandatory health checks for all staff utilizing emocha Health.
  • Continued enforcement of Nevada’s mask mandate.

Staff Absence 

• The Substitute Services Department in the Human Resources Division will proactively monitor school staff absences to deploy central service personnel to assist at identified schools, if needed.