Los Angeles County

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Note: Recipient-submitted material; content authored by recipient, not ELC
Information current as of August 18, 2022

To learn more about Los Angeles’ school testing plans, visit their website or contact their school-based screening testing program.

Management structure for school screening

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) has partnered with the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) and Heluna Health to support school-based COVID-19 screening testing programs for public, charter, and private schools in Los Angeles County. DPH provides technical oversight to its partners and schools in implementing their testing programs. Specific activities include guidance on testing strategies, approval of testing providers, ensuring adherence to grant guidance, developing, and reviewing programmatic and financial reporting, and management and analysis of school testing data.

Support provided to school districts

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) has two primary protocols, which outline the county’s plan for supporting districts in COVID-19 prevention, detection, and control on school campuses for COVID-19 prevention and safety in K-12 schools. The two protocols are:

  • Reopening Protocol for K-12 Schools, and
  • COVID-19 Exposure Management Plan Guidance in TK-12 Schools

The Reopening Protocol outlines the prevention measures K-12 schools should implement to promote and maintain safe environments for in-person instruction, such as required masking indoors, physical distancing, optimal ventilation measures, cleaning, and disinfection, testing and vaccination.

The Exposure Management Plan outlines the requirements schools must follow, such as appointing a COVID-19 compliance officer, activating isolation and quarantine procedures for cases and close contacts, testing requirements for screening and response testing, and reporting cases and close contacts to DPH when identified. Weekly screening testing is required for unvaccinated staff and youth athletes participating indoor moderate or high-risk indoor sports and unvaccinated staff and youth athletes aged 12 years and older participating in outdoor moderate- or high-risk sports. Since community transmission is still high in Los Angeles County, screening testing has been recommended for the overall school population, prioritizing unvaccinated staff and students, to detect asymptomatic individuals and prevent further onward transmission.