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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

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CSSRC Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Page

In an effort to keep schools updated on the COVID-19 virus, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Local Public Health Agencies (LPHA) and our communities to provide updated information about COVID-19.Visit the CDPHE Website for Information on the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

NEW -- CDPHE Offers Communications Toolkits for School Testing Programs (Aug. 24, 2022)

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has created communications toolkits for the 2022-23 school year for its Test to Know program as well as the state's school screening testing program. The toolkits contain suggested emails that could be sent to parents and school leaders as well as sample social media posts, fact sheets and answers to frequently asked questions.

NEW -- Practical guide for operationalizing CDC’s school guidance (Aug. 10, 2022)

CDPHE made minor changes to simplify and clarify the guidance released in February 2022, which encouraged schools to transition to a routine disease control model for COVID-19 and outlined strategies for K-12 schools to implement as they moved away from individual case-investigation response. A routine disease control model focuses more on responding to clusters of cases, outbreaks, and evidence of ongoing transmission in schools, and less on individual case investigation, contact tracing, and quarantine following routine classroom exposures. This model is now recommended statewide.

CDPHE Letter on Quarantine Changes (Jan. 28, 2022)

The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) has adapted its quarantine guidance to follow updated CDC guidance, including in school settings. CDPHE has posted a sample letter to parents and schools regarding the most recent changes to quarantine and vaccinations. (CDPHE) is working to translate this letter into Spanish and will share as soon as it is available.

ED Covid Handbook Front Page

CDPHE Releases Back-to-School Guidance

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released updated back-to-school guidance today based on new guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for how K-12 schools can reduce the spread of COVID-19 and maintain safe operations.

ED COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students’ Needs

This guidance document is intended to be a resource for States, districts, schools, and teachers as they reopen schools safely and support students. Separately, the U.S. Department  of Education will issue guidance on specific provisions of ARP statute and program implementation.

Training & Technical Assistance Related to COVID-19 (SAMHSA)

SAMHSA is committed to providing regular training and technical assistance (TTA) on matters related to the mental and substance use disorder field as they deal with COVID-19.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Funeral Assistance

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many families. At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters. We are dedicated to helping ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus.

FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19-related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020.

Zoom & Click Interactive Map: US Schools & Local Health Contacts

The schoolsafety.net website features an interactive map showing all U.S. schools and local health contacts. Use the zoom-and-click map of the homepage of the website to explore any school district or county in the nation and bring up information about any public school, private school, Head Start program, community college, 4-year college or university. Local health contacts on the map include hospitals, community health centers, mental health treatment facilities, and drug and alcohol treatment facilities. School Safety Network was created and is maintained in Colorado by School Safety Partners.

Parental/Guardian Guidelines for Helping Your Child/Children Cope With all the Changes Related to COVID-19

Click on Resource Tab to learn more about a list of compiled educational information on COVID-19

SchoolSafety.Gov COVID-19 Resources

NEW - - SchoolSafety.Gov COVID-19 Resources

SchoolSafety.gov offers resources, tools, and guidance related to COVID-19 prevention and mental health support in K-12 schools. Sustaining safe in-person learning, ensuring proper hygiene, and managing daily operations are all important for creating and maintaining a safe and secure school environment amid a public health crisis.

  • Back to School During COVID-19: These resources, compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, are designed to address mental health and resiliency in school settings as students and schools cope with the pandemic.

  • COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens: This guidance outlines information on COVID-19 vaccines for children and teens, including how to find vaccination spots and tips to support youth before, during, and after vaccination.

  • Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools: This frequently updated guidance for school administrators outlines strategies for K-12 schools to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and maintain safe operations.

  • Responding to COVID-19 School Mental Health: This compilation of resources, products, events, and training helps to address the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on students and their families, educators, and the school mental health workforce, as well as the school mental health system.

  • Safe Schools Checklist: This resource provides ideas on how to get school communities vaccinated and maintain safe, in-person learning all year long.

  • Toolkit for Responding to COVID-19 Cases: CDC’s toolkit for K-12 school administrators includes a guide for addressing cases in schools, case and contact notification letter templates, and more.

  • What You Should Know About COVID-19 Testing in Schools: This resource offers information on options, strategies, and considerations for COVID-19 testing in K-12 schools, including the Test to Stay option.

More Resources/Guidelines Related to COVID-19
List of Grief/Loss Resources for Schools
List of Webinar Series, Videos & Articles

Videos and Articles from The Center for Loss and Life Transition

  1. Coronavirus and the Six Needs of Mourning[ Video | Article ]

  2. Funerals in the Time of Coronavirus [ Video | Article ]

  3. How to Talk to Children About the Coronavirus Pandemic [ Video | Article ]

  4. Nurturing Hope in Difficult Times [ Video | Article]

  5. The Pandemic of Grief [ Video | Article ]

  6. Great webinar series on Resilience in Schools (Courtesy: The Center for Green Schools)

  7. Modeling Healthy Ways to Cope during COVID-19 (Parenting Resources)

  8. Virtual School Suicide Assessment (Webinar)

    • This webinar reviews the step-by-step process for utilizing NASP's suicide prevention and intervention teleassessment protocols.

Safer School Together (SST) COVID Toolkit

  1. Informed Consent in Media Sharing

  2. Increasing Safety in a Remote Learning World

  3. How to Avoid Being Zoom-Bombed

  4. Ethical Considerations for Remote Counseling

  5. Safe Remote Teaching Workflow Using Zoom

  6. Educational Video Resources to Increase Safety in the Remote Learning (Password: sst-zoomsafe)

  7. Updated Parent Resource: Raising Digitally Responsible Learners (now includes remote safety, privacy, and security in the remote learning world)

IHE Resources on COVID

  1. COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit for Institutions of Higher Education (IHE), Community Colleges, and Technical Schools

    • More people get vaccinated when they have strong confidence in the vaccines within their communities. And more people vaccinated leads to fewer COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. CDC has designed a toolkit to help administrators and staff at institutions of higher education (IHE) share clear, complete, and accurate messages about COVID-19 vaccines. These unified messages can help build confidence among students and staff and encourage COVID-19 vaccination among students.

NASP Resources for Suicide During Distance Learning

  1. Behavior Threat Assessment and Management in the Virtual Environment [Nat. Assn. of School Psychologists - NASP | PDF - 268.4KB ]

  2. Distance Learning Suicide Prevention Checklists - - Preparing [Nat. Assn. of School Psychologists - NASP | PDF - 390KB]

  3. Distance Learning Suicide Prevention Checklists - -Conducting [Nat. Assn. of School Psychologists - NASP | PDF - 390KB]

  4. Comprehensive School Suicide Prevention in a Time of Distance Learning [Nat. Assn. of School Psychologists - NASP | PDF - 325.4KB ]

Also, continue to follow the CDC guidelines of:

  1. Wash your hands often with soap and water

  2. Cover coughs and sneezes

  3. Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects

  4. Stay home if you are sick. Call your doctor before going to their office.

  5. Avoid close contact with other people (Keep a distance of at least 10 feet)

  6. Follow the "How Sick is Too Sick" guidelines from CDPHE for school communities

Remote Learning Precautions

As students across the state transition to remote learning, concerns arise regarding our ability to manage their communications, as well as our inability to have face-to-face contact with those who are most vulnerable. The Center is in communication with child-serving agencies who are considering how to protect students in less-than-ideal social isolation. The CSSRC Staff have compiled some tips to push out to your staff, students, and families to aid in that effort.

Answers to Questions about Mailing Student Medications

As some schools are starting to cancel for the rest of the year due to COVID-19, the question of safely/legally returning student medications if families don't come and pick them up has been raised. Can the medications be sent through the mail? Sarah Blumenthal, CO Nurse Consultant shares information on student medications:

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