All children should be checked for COVID-19 symptoms at home daily before leaving for school (click here for the Symptom Screenings poster).  Children with COVID-19 symptoms - even MILD symptoms - should stay home.  Please call their school to report the reason for their absence. It is recommended that you test your child for COVID. Call your school health office for free COVID testing options. Children who have been tested for COVID-19 and are waiting for results should be kept home. 

Students complaining of any of the COVID-19 symptoms will be sent to the health office, and parents/guardians will be contacted to recommend a COVID test. Research shows that children often have mild illness when sick with COVID-19. 

Parents who receive a call from school that their child needs to be picked up due to illness are expected to arrive within 1 hour. If parents expect they may be unavailable, they must have someone else available to pick up their child. Updated emergency contact lists are required.

Optional masking in AESD

AESD discontinued mandatory masking on April 11, 2022. Because of this, families now have choices about when and how to return after COVID-related absences. Students who are well, willing, and able to fully mask at school may be able to return to school sooner than those who cannot or will not mask. Your school health staff will discuss these options based on your family’s individual situation.

Parents of students who test positive for COVID must keep students home for 5 days; students may return to school if well and able to mask fully on days 6 through 10. Students unable or unwilling to mask must remain at home for the full 10-day isolation period. All COVID-related absences are excused.

Alhambra Elementary School District has discontinued individual student contact tracing and now monitors COVID-19 cases at the classroom and school site level. 

If your child has been exposed to COVID-19, we encourage you to contact your school health staff. We request that you monitor them for symptoms and keep them home if symptoms develop. You may be able to take your student to school for free COVID testing if they become symptomatic, please call your school health office. 

We understand that students with a history of asthma and/or seasonal allergies may have  symptoms from the COVID list. Please work closely with your health care provider to treat, manage, and minimize your student’s asthma and allergy symptoms. 

Here is a chart comparing the symptoms of COVID-19, colds, flu, seasonal allergies, and asthma. 

School health staff will work with parents to develop a safe care plan for children with diabetes. The goal of this plan is to reduce the number of health office visits because this reduces the students’ risk of exposure.  Plans will NOT include having students eat lunch in the health office and will involve designating other school adults to assist in the care of children with diabetes. Parents may want to consider having their diabetic child eat breakfast and take their morning insulin at home to assist in reducing the number of health office visits needed.

Recognizing that the school health office is an area of higher risk for a COVID-19 exposure, the fewer visits by students to the health office lowers their risk of an exposure.

School nurses will work with teachers and school staff to ensure that minor health issues are addressed and first aid is provided away from the health office to reduce as much potential student exposure to COVID-19 and other illnesses as possible. Staff will be trained to follow the “When to See the Nurse -- Guide for Teachers” document and will be provided the necessary supplies. The health office will always be available to support serious injuries, illnesses, or emergencies.

Regularly scheduled early morning medications or procedures that can be done at home should be to reduce unnecessary visits to the health office. Health staff will be administering COVID tests to students returning from illness absences and processing students with symptoms each morning. As usual, any health emergencies will be handled.