COVID-19 Response

Seattle Public Schools COVID-19 Response

SPS COVID-19 Data

What are the vaccination rates for SPS schools?

As of August 2022, 83% of SPS students have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 80% of students have had two, and of students who are eligible for boosters, 72% have received their booster shot. The highest vaccination rate in a school is 96%, while the lowest is 27%. Of 106 schools, 95 have a greater than 50% vaccination rate and 11 schools have less than a 50% vaccination rate.

Vaccine clinics at SPS Schools: The district continues to offer COVID-19 vaccine clinics for our school community in partnership with trusted medical providers.

SPS COVID-19 Dashboard

SPS closely tracks and monitors confirmed COVID-19 cases. Confirmed case counts at Seattle Public are displayed on the COVID Data Dashboard.

How does SPS share COVID-19 tracking data?

Refreshed weekly on Mondays by the end of the day, this dashboard disaggregates (dividing data into parts) cases by region, week, and role to provide an understanding of the pandemic across the district. Confirmed cases does not mean the transmission occurred within Seattle Public Schools sites.

Data is gathered from three primary sources: self-reporting, 106 schools, and school-based rapid antigen testing.

COVID-19 Data Dashboard

Outbreak Response

SPS continues to follow mitigation strategies to minimize transmission of COVID-19.

Stay Home When Sick It is important that if students have COVID symptoms, they stay home and test. Keep a supply of home tests on hand.

Department of Health Symptom Flow Chart

This DOH flowchart ‘What to do if a Person is Symptomatic’ is available in additional languages.

Mask Guidance

Seattle Public Schools lifted its mask requirements in March 2022. SPS continues to encourage masking at school, especially after travel or a break.

If I needed one, where would I find the Mask Exemption Form?

Here is the SPS Mask Exemption Form

Virtual, Remote, and In-Person Learning

What metrics are most important for deciding if instruction should transition to remote learning?

SPS’ continuity of operations plan identifies several interrelated factors that inform the decision to move a classroom or a school building to remote instruction. Those include student absenteeism due to COVID, staff absences, substitute teacher availability, school leader coverage, and operations support in transportation, custodial, and culinary services.

How are decisions about in-person or remote learning or school closures made?

When there is significant community transmission the superintendent’s senior staff meet throughout the day to review the data, engage with school leaders, and develop recommendations to the superintendent or his designee for supporting schools or moving them to remote instruction.

How do I help my student access remote instruction?

Your school will provide a letter to families with information about schedules, lunch pick-up, and any related activity. The letter will also give you clear information about how to connect to the learning platform your students’ classroom is using.

Does SPS offer virtual learning option

SPS offers virtual learning options through the Cascade Parent Partnership Program with limited enrollment capacity.

What is the Cascade Parent Partnership Program?

At Cascade Parent Partnership Program, staff and families collaborate to create individualized plans that support the unique needs and interests of our diverse learners.

Students learn in our classrooms, at home and wherever their curiosity takes them. At Cascade, we celebrate individuality, embrace community, and have fun as we learn about ourselves and the world around us.

How do you accommodate high-risk families who wish to keep their child at home temporarily until school cases come under control?

SPS recognizes these are complicated times for families. Families are encouraged to communicate directly with their students’ school regarding student absences.

COVID-19 symptoms, testing, and isolating

The DOH requires anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 to stay home and get tested for COVID-19. Additional guidance includes:

A person who tests positive for COVID-19 must isolate at home for five days. After five days, if symptoms improve and the person does not have a fever for at least 24 hours (without taking fever-reducing medications), they can return to school or work. COVID-19 tests are encouraged before returning.
If an individual tests positive after five days of isolation, they must stay at home for the full 10-day isolation period.
Anyone returning to school or work after isolation should wear a well-fitted mask from day six to 10. These individuals should also remain masked for sports and other extracurricular activities.
If an individual is unable to wear a well-fitting mask, they should continue to isolate for a full 10 days.

Outbreak Response and Testing Consent

If there is a suspected or confirmed outbreak in a classroom or across classrooms, testing and masking may be required to sustain in-person learning. Learn more about the testing protocol and consent to outbreak testing.

COVID-19 Testing

Students can take a COVID test:

At their school
At home

At home testing: Seattle Public Schools is now accepting over the counter COVID-19 tests for students and staff.

Student assigned school: COIVID testing is available at each school, and results are available usually within 15 minutes with parent/guardian consent.

DOH provides districts with rapid antigen tests from a variety of companies.

The Fact Sheets below contain information to help you understand the risks and benefits of using these tests for the diagnosis of COVID-19.

Abbott Binax Now COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test

AccessBio CareStart COVID-19 Antigen Test

BD Veritor System for Rapid Detection of SAR-CoV2

iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test

Vaccines

Vaccine Clinics

COVID-19 Vaccine for Students and Staff

Vaccination is our most important line of defense against the virus and being vaccinated also reduces the loss of vital in-person instruction time at school. All children 6 months and older are now eligible for the COVID vaccine and children 5 years and older are eligible for the booster.

For more information, please read the SPS school board policy and superintendent procedure relating to visitors in SPS buildings.

Volunteers must be approved by the volunteer office and are subject to the Washington state governor’s proclamation.