Return to school

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COVID-19 school screening tool

Know when to self-monitor, self-isolate or send your child to school

Please note: Symptomatic children or school staff, who have a known exposure to a case of COVID-19 during their infectious period or have travelled in the past 14 days, (and their household contacts) must self-isolate pending the test result of the symptomatic individual and not attend work or school until the symptomatic individual(s) receive a negative test.

If the symptomatic individual has no known exposure or recent travel, household contacts would self-monitor awaiting test results of the symptomatic individual. Household contacts do not need to be tested unless they also have symptoms.

This September, all elementary students (JK - Grade 8) will return to school for in-person instruction five days a week. Secondary students (Grade 9 - Grade 12) in Waterloo Region will return to school in an adapted model with at least 50% in-person instructional time. For more information on re-opening schools, visit the Province of Ontario's website.

Please check the school board websites for additional details on schools re-opening:

Waterloo Region District School Board
Waterloo Catholic District School Board
Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (Roman Catholic separate, French-language school board)
Conseil scolaire Viamonde (French-language public school board)

Resources for school administrators

Scenario Chart - Staff

For private school administrators, visit our resources for private schools webpage.

Returning to school for families

As you prepare to send your child or children to school, there are some important things to consider. There are two key principles for you to keep in mind.

The first is that it is a great idea for kids to be in school. It is good for their education, good for their wellbeing, and good for the whole family.

The second principle is that as we open up more spaces for people to gather (like schools), we expect there will be more cases of COVID-19.

The goal of living with this risk, is to contain outbreaks, slow the spread of COVID-19, and minimize the most severe outcomes. We cannot prevent all cases.

We appreciate that the decision to send your kids to school is a difficult one. Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare your family for a return to school.

Your child’s health

Mostly, children infected with COVID-19 get a very mild illness and recover without much help. A very small number of children get a severe inflammatory disease, and we do not yet know much about what puts kids at risk for that.

Like other age groups, it is suspected that children with underlying medical conditions, such as lung diseases like cystic fibrosis, cancer that may affect their immune system, or diabetes that isn't well controlled, may be more at risk.

Talk to your child's health care provider about any conditions that might put them at greater risk if they were to get COVID-19. If your child is very medically fragile, returning to in-person school right now may not be the safest option.

For most kids, the benefits of being in school will outweigh the risks to them.

Your family’s health

Also consider the health of other family members in your home. Again, most people with COVID-19 will recover on their own. The people at risk for severe illness are those who are over 70, or have chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or cancer.

These family members (including yourself) may need extra protection if you are living in the same household. If there is a medically fragile person in the household, you will need to consider the risk to that person against the important benefits of sending your child to school. There is no perfect answer - make a decision that feels right to you now, and there will most likely be chances to change your mind later.

Things that can help you lower the risk - have a family isolation plan to keep sick kids away from the vulnerable person in your house, and reduce the exposure of vulnerable people in your household to other social networks that could expose them to disease.

The role of Public Health

Your school is committed to creating a caring learning environment, and Public Health will be working closely with school boards to identify and manage cases of COVID-19.

We have been in close communication with school boards throughout the pandemic. Keeping community transmission low is key to keeping schools safer. Public Health and the school boards are working together to put measures in place to prevent outbreaks in schools and to limit spread if a positive case attends school. The province, Public Health and the school boards will monitor the return to school process closely and will work together to decide on the ongoing status of schools.

Public health measures in place to protect children and educators in school will include:

screening to ensure sick children and staff do not attend
prompt isolation of sick children and staff
physical distancing as much as possible
enhanced cleaning measures
cohorting (keeping groups together)
the use of face coverings for most students and staff

If there are indicators of increased COVID-19 circulating in our community, or in Ontario, there will be discussions to change course as needed. Both Public Health and your local school board will do our best to keep you informed as these decisions are considered.

There is no risk-free situation here.

Sending your child to school may increase their risk of getting COVID-19. Keeping your kids at home may increase the risk of interrupting their social and developmental wellbeing. The decision to return to school is not easy. We will continue to work together to help your children learn safely. By continuing to follow public health measures and keeping your children home when they are ill, you will be helping to limit the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

Preparing for school

If your child is returning to school, there are some things you can do now to feel prepared.

Begin adjusting sleep schedules.
Get back to your usual routines.
Get in the habit of screening your child for symptoms daily.
Practice proper hand hygiene with your child.
- Washing hands with soap and water – scrubbing hands, including fingers, thumbs, and wrists for at least 15 seconds.
Practice putting on and taking off a mask, and have your child wear it around the house so that they are more comfortable wearing it for longer periods of time.
Practice no touch greetings, to greet classmates and teachers.
Talk to your kids, explain how their classrooms may be different. Talk to them about the importance of these new measures.
Have a plan, in case your child needs to stay home.
Take care of yourself to manage your own stress.

Frequently asked questions

For school administrators

What should school staff do if they have COVID-19 symptoms?

If you have one or more symptoms of COVID-19, you should not attend school, self-isolate at home, and get tested. Follow your school board policy to report your absence and symptoms.
Household contacts do not need to be tested unless they also have symptoms or have been advised by Public Health to seek testing.
The guidance for your return to school and direction for other household members while awaiting your test results, will depend if you had a known exposure to a case of COVID-19 during their infectious period or have travelled in the past 14 days. See the guidance below for further direction.
- If you have a known exposure to a case of COVID-19 during their infectious period or have travelled in the past 14 days, you and your household contacts must self-isolate while waiting for your test results.
  - If the result is positive, Public Health will contact you.
  - If you get a negative test result you must continue to self-isolate for 14 days from your last exposure. Others in the same household can return to school and should self-monitor.
  - If you are not tested or assessed by a health care provider (please refer to your employer for specific work policies), you must self-isolate for 10 days from symptom onset or 14 days from your last exposure, whichever is longest.
- If you have no known exposure or recent travel, your household contacts must self-monitor while waiting for your test results.
  - If the result is positive, Public Health will contact you.
  - If you get a negative test result you may return to school when you do not have a fever and once it has been at least 24 hours since your symptoms started improving
  - If you are not tested or assessed by a health care provider (please refer to your employer for specific work policies), you need to self-isolate for 10 days following symptom onset. Household members can self-monitor.

For more information see the staff scenario chart.

What should school staff do if a member of their household has COVID-19 symptoms?

If the symptomatic member of your household has a known exposure to a case of COVID-19 during their infectious period or has travelled in the past 14 days, all household members must self-isolate while waiting for the test results of the symptomatic individual.
- All household members must not attend work or school while waiting for the test results of the symptomatic individual.
- If your household member does not get tested or get an assessment by a health care provider (please refer to your employer for specific work policies), you and your household members will need to self-isolate for 14 days.
If the symptomatic member of your household has no known exposure or recent travel, you and other household contacts can attend school and self-monitor while waiting for your test results.
Household contacts do not need to be tested unless they also have symptoms or have been advised by Public Health to seek testing.
If the result is positive, Public Health will contact the household member and provide specific directions.

For families

What is Public Health’s role in return to school?

Helping schools, parents, and children to apply public health measures locally, reducing the risk of spread of COVID-19
- Supporting the use of provincial school guidance
- Supporting school boards in development of their re-opening plans
- Supporting schools to implement strong infection prevention and control practices
- Providing child-friendly resources to support important measures such as physical distancing, effective hand hygiene, and use of face coverings in schools
Leading the management of cases, contacts, and outbreaks in schools
Providing extra support to schools with dedicated public health nurses

Should I send my child to school?

Everyone needs to make decisions that are best for their children and family. Factors to consider include:

Your child’s health
Your child’s educational needs
Your household members’ health

How will public health measures reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools?

Following public health measures in schools will support keeping students and staff safe. The most important measures continue to be physical distancing as much as possible, wearing a mask, staying home when sick, and washing hands.

Schools will be doing enhanced cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas, and using barriers such as plexiglass to reduce the spread. In addition to these preventive measures, in the event of a case of COVID-19 at school, having children in cohorts will help limit spread.

How will the cohorts in school differ from the social circle we have for our family?

Children in schools will be part of a cohort (or dedicated group) of students, which is different from a social circle.
In a cohort, students should still practice physical distancing as much as possible, and wear a mask in accordance with Ministry of Education and school board policy when they are indoors and also outdoors when physical distancing is not possible.
In contrast, a social circle allows households to have up to 10 people in their circle with whom they can interact without keeping a physical distance or wearing masks.
Families that have people who are at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 in their social circle may wish to re-evaluate their social circle based on their own risk assessment as their child returns to school.

What kind of face covering or mask should we use?

The best face covering or mask is the one that fits comfortably.
A cloth mask should be made with two or more layers of fabric and be easy to breathe through.
It should be large enough to cover the nose, mouth and chin without any gaps.
Plastic masks or face shields are not a substitute for cloth masks.
Masks should be stored in something breathable like a paper bag, fabric bag or envelope that does not retain moisture, if the mask will be worn again.
Pack several masks each day and send your child to school with two bags for masks, one labelled "clean" and one "dirty."
- Instruct your child to put their mask in the "dirty" bag if it gets wet or soiled, and to use a new, clean mask.
Wash the masks at the end of each day before reuse.

Does the Regional face covering by-law apply to schools?

The Region of Waterloo’s face covering by-law does not apply to schools. Schools are under provincial jurisdiction (the Ministry of Education) and Region of Waterloo by-laws do not apply.

Visit your school board's website for more information on their face covering policies:

How will masks be enforced in schools?

Visit your school board's website for more information on their face covering policies:

How will physical distancing be managed on buses?

Visit your school board's website for more information on transportation:

How will classrooms be set-up?

Visit your school board's website for more information on classrooms:

If my child is sick, how do I get them tested?

Use the COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool to determine if your child should be tested.

Visit the Assessment and Testing Centre webpage for information about testing in Waterloo Region.

If my child is sick, does everyone in our household need to get tested?

Household contacts do not need to be tested unless they also have symptoms or have been advised by Public Health to seek testing.

Use the COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool to determine if your child should be tested.

If my child is off sick, when can they return to school?

Use the COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool to determine when your child can return to school

My child had symptoms, but no longer does, can they still get tested?

If the COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool says your child should be tested, your child can still get tested even if their symptoms have resolved because they have been directed to seek testing before they can return to school.

My child has a runny nose, what should I do?

If your child’s only symptom is a runny nose, you should keep your child home and monitor their symptoms as you would in any other year. When they feel better, they are ready to go back to school/child care and no COVID-19 testing is needed. If they get worse or develop other symptoms, you should contact their health care provider for more advice. Mild symptoms known to persist in young children (e.g., runny nose) may be ongoing at time of return to school/child care if other symptoms have been resolved.

Do I need a note from a doctor before my child goes back to school/child care or a copy of a negative test result?

No, you do not need a note from your doctor or proof of a negative test before your child returns to school/ childcare.

What happens if someone at school gets COVID-19?

If someone at school contracts COVID-19, Public Health will conduct an investigation to determine who had close contact with the individual. Public Health will then contact each person who had close contact and recommend self-isolation at home, as appropriate.

Due to privacy of personal health information, the name of the person who has COVID-19 will not be shared. For more details on what will happen, see the Ministry of Education’s Operational guidance: COVID-19 management in schools.

Care must to be taken to avoid stigmatizing students and staff. Schools should continue to be welcoming, respectful, inclusive and supportive environments for all.

When will an outbreak be declared?

The Province has defined a school outbreak as two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in students and/or staff in a school with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the school (including transportation and before or after school care).

Public Health will work with the school to determine if an outbreak exists, declare an outbreak, and provide direction on outbreak control measures. For more details on what will happen, see the Ministry of Education’s Operational guidance: COVID-19 management in schools.

Early detection and responding to outbreaks in schools is important for controlling the transmission of the virus in the community. Public Health has a lot of experience helping schools when infectious diseases, such as measles, are detected. Public Health will use this experience when monitoring for potential cases and responding quickly if there is a COVID-19 outbreak in a school.

Will the school close if someone gets COVID-19?

There is no set number of COVID-19 infections used to determine if a school will need to close. It is not always necessary to shut down the entire classroom or school if there is a case of COVID-19 in the school, and decisions will be based on a risk assessment. Even though an outbreak may be declared in the school, Public Health will assist in determining which cohort(s) may be sent home or if a partial or full school closure is required based on the scope of the outbreak. For more details, see the Ministry of Education’s Operational guidance: COVID-19 management in schools.

It is important to note that if the infection rate in the broader community increases, it could also impact the number of people who get COVID-19 in schools. As a result, for the safety of everyone, there may be a time when schools need to close again.

Will there be Public Health support in the schools?

Region of Waterloo Public Health is establishing a team of approximately 20 nurses who will support the over 200 schools, in Waterloo Region, as they reopen. They will support schools with COVID-19 prevention measures, education, case investigations and contact tracing (if someone at the school develops COVID-19), and outbreak management.

What are the long-term effects of COVID-19 on children?

COVID-19 is a new disease, and we are still learning about the long-term effects. This is why we must take precautions to reduce the spread of infection.

Should students and teachers use the contact tracing app?

Yes, we encourage everyone to use the COVID-19 Alert app. The more people using the app, the better for everyone. If someone gets COVID-19, they will enter a key in the app which will anonymously alert others who may be close contacts to go for testing.