California school employees are considered essential workers. As school employees and as essential workers, we are required per, Executive Order N-33-20 to adhere to all State and Local Health Officers guidelines. The testing mandates may be read in the California Department of Public Health ‘Framework for K-12 Schools in California’, Riverside County Guidance for Schools and Board of Education Board Policy 4119.41(a). As explained in state and county documents, school staff should be tested, including teachers, paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, janitors, bus drivers, or any other school employee that may have contact with students or other staff. School districts and schools should ensure that staff are tested periodically by their primary care provider or by referring teachers to a community testing site, as testing capacity permits and as practicable.

California school employees are considered essential workers. As school employees and as essential workers, we are required per, Executive Order N-33-20 to adhere to all State and Local Health Officers guidelines. The testing mandates may be read in the California Department of Public Health ‘Framework for K-12 Schools in California’ (page 38 Testing), Riverside County Guidance for Schools and Board of Education Board Policy 4119.41(a).

Like other mandated testing such as TB testing, a COVID-19 test is a requirement for all school employees. The testing mandates may be read in the California Department of Public Health ‘Framework for K-12 Schools in California’, Riverside County Guidance for Schools and Board of Education Board Policy 4119.41(a).

Surveillance testing is primarily used to gain information about infection at a community or population level, rather than an individual level. Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 includes ongoing systematic activities, including collection, analysis, and interpretation of health-related data that are essential to planning, implementing, and evaluating public health practice. According to the Riverside County Guidance for Schools , school districts must explain how employees will have access to COVID-19 testing at regular and ongoing intervals, per State Guidance. Specifically, this section states: “Schools are required to have a surveillance testing plan to test all staff on a regular basis. This may be through a third-party provider or through their own medical insurance. As school workers are considered essential workers and this is a state requirement, their health care coverage should cover COVID-19 testing by state regulation. Staff members may also be able to visit a county facility if they desire testing outside of the school setting; visit http://gettested.ruhealth.org/ for options and locations.” The following websites also have information about surveillance testing: CDC or FDA.

We are required to ask for personal health provider information for testing labs. However, this information is only collected, there are no requirements to provide an Insurance ID number or policy number.  The tests are free of charge and there is no co-pay. The County has assured us that employees will not be billed.

The CA Department of Managed Healthcare handles regulations for private health plans in California. In July/August they issued emergency regulations requiring health insurers to cover surveillance testing of Californians who were ordered, received CDPH guidance, or both to be tested routinely for COVID-19. If an employee’s health care provider sends a bill for COVID-19 testing, he/she should contest the charges and submit the emergency regulation to their health plan directly.

SS# is not a requirement and as a district we have shared the belief that we do not feel our employees should have to submit their SS#. RUHS-Ph understands and has relayed the information is optional, and employees do not have to provide the information.

Yes, all employees must be tested. This is an employment requirement, regardless of where you reside. Employees may visit their own health care provider and should send a hard copy of the PCR test results to HR in care of Keri Baldridge.

No, mileage will only be paid to attend district sponsored testing from work site to testing site and back.

Yes! As explained in the California Department of Public Health ‘Framework for K-12 Schools in California’, school staff should be tested, including teachers, paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, janitors, bus drivers, or any other school employee that may have contact with students or other staff.