Health & Human services

INFORMATION FOR SCHOOLS

Early Childhood Care Providers

• CDPH COVID-19 Guidance for Child Care Programs and Provider
• Provider Information Notices (PINs) for Child Care Licensing Programs
• For information on infant and toddler supplies available to residents with young children and childcare providers, visit the Assistance & Resources page and click on Children.

School Openings

In January 2021, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released a California Safe Schools for All Plan, which establishes a path to minimize in-school transmissions and enable a phased return to safe in-person instruction. These new criteria and requirements replace the Elementary Education Waiver (issued August 3) that allowed Local Health Officers to grant a waiver to  elementary school applicants for in person instruction if specific criteria were satisfied.

Schools That Have Already Opened Through the Waiver Process

• All waivers approved prior to this date remain valid.
• Must complete and post a COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP) to the website as soon as possible. The CSP consists of two components:
  • School Guidance Checklist
  • Cal/OSHA Prevention Plan
• Schools previously approved and open through the waiver process for grades TK-2 may only expand to grades 3-6 if the case rate for LA County reaches <25 cases per 100,000 (check current status of LA County here). Grades 7 through 12 will only be allowed once LA County is in the Red Tier or lower.

 Schools Providing In-Person Specialized Services

• All schools are permitted to provide in-person specialized services for high-needs students (eg. English language learners, special education) using the Cohorting Guidance. 
• Schools that plan to offer in-person specialized services must complete the Specialized Services Form if they have not already done so.

Schools Not Previously Open to In-Person Learning

• Schools cannot open for in person instruction unless the Los Angeles case rate is <25 cases per 100,000 population per day. Updated rates for LA County can be found here. At that point, only grades TK-6 are permitted to submit a COVID Safety Plan for LHD approval to resume in-person instruction.    
• Schools desiring to operate in person instruction must complete a COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP), which consists of two components:
  • School Guidance Checklist
  • Cal/OSHA Prevention Plan
• The CSP must be submitted  to Long Beach Health Department at COVID19EDU@longbeach.gov for review and approval. These plans can be submitted (for review only) prior to the case rate reaching <25 cases per 100,000 in LA County.
  • The Health Department will reply within 7 business days to provide feedback regarding any deficiencies found.
  • If deficiencies are found, the CSP must be updated and re-submitted, and the Health Department will again have 7 business days to review.
  • Schools may open on the 8^th business day if there is no additional feedback from Health Department.
• Must post CSP on their website homepage

 School case reporting: All (one or more) school cases must be reported here within 24 hours.

• School Case Report Portal
• School Case and Contact Line List - must be included for all (one or more) cases reported. Please upload within the School Case Report Portal.

School Resources

• Entry Screening Form
• Specialized Services Form
• School Case and Contact Line List
• Template Notification Letters for Education Settings
• Staff/Student Flow Chart (Spanish)
• Testing Information Handout (English, Spanish, Khmer & Tagalog)
• Combo Testing Information (English, Spanish, Khmer Tagalog)
• Contact Tracing Information
• List of Previously Granted Waiver Schools
• State Resources
  • CA Safe Schools for All Hub
  • CDPH K-12 Consolidated School Guidance
  • COVID-19 Safety Plan:   School Guidance Checklist |  Cal/OSHA  Prevention Plan

Reopening Protocols for Institutes of Higher Education

The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services is adopting a staged approach, supported by science and public health expertise, to limit activities permitted at Institutes of Higher Education until circumstances permit safe opening. Colleges and universities in Los Angeles County and in the City of Long Beach will not be able to resume all inperson academic instruction, at this time. Institutions may continue to offer in-person training and instruction for only for essential workforce whose required activities cannot be accomplished through virtual learning. All other academic instruction must continue to be done via distance-learning.

• Protocols for Institutes of Higher Education
• COVID-19 Exposure Management Plan for Institutes of Higher Education

                                               Granted School Waivers