COVID-19 school and child care 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.
On this page
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
- COVID-19 guidance: school outbreak management
- COVID-19 school and child care screening tool
- Decision Making Tree for Key School Contacts - Staff
- Decision Making Tree for Key School Contacts - Student
- Guide to reopening Ontario’s schools
- Operational guidance: COVID-19 management in schools
- Parent Communications for School Boards
- Staff Communications for School Boards
- Telehealth Ontario
- Translated COVID-19 resources
For private school administrators, visit our resources for private schools webpage.
Frequently asked questions
For school administrators
What should school staff do if they have COVID-19 symptoms? |
For more information see the staff scenario chart. |
What should school staff do if a member of their household has COVID-19 symptoms? |
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For families
What is Public Health’s role in return to school? |
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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. |
What kind of face covering or mask should we use? |
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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 or child care? |
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 or a copy of a negative test result before my child goes back to school or child care? |
No, you do not need a note from your doctor or proof of a negative test before your child returns to school or child care. |
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. |
What is the difference between close contact and high-risk contact? |
Close contact and a high-risk contact are the same thing. This is defined as exposure to a positive case for 15 minutes or more without physical distancing or PPE (e.g. masks). Individuals who know that they are a close contact or a high-risk contact of a confirmed positive case should self-isolate and only call Public Health if you have not heard from us after three days. Please note that you may receive a call from Public Health Ontario or Statistics Canada who are providing contact tracing support to our health unit. |
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. |
Resources
Important tools for parents
- COVID-19 school and child care screening tool
- COVID Alert mobile app
- Know when to self-monitor, self-isolate or send your child to school fact sheet
Posters
- How to use hand sanitizer
- How to wash your hands
- How to wear a face covering
- The Do's and don'ts of wearing a face covering
Videos
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