Schools K-12

The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) K-12 school page addresses the need for schools, local health departments, and healthcare providers to work together to support the goal of all students returning to school safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to ensure that ADPH county health departments are providing consistent and up-to-date information to local schools, this page provides resources and forms necessary for reporting.

View Alabama's K-12 COVID-19 School Dashboard

New Update! CDC's Updated Guidance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated their Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Prevention. Changes include revised physical distancing recommendations to reflect at least 3 feet between students in classrooms and provide clearer guidance when a greater distance (such as 6 feet) is recommended. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is aware of the updated guidelines from the CDC concerning physical distancing in schools K-12. As with any change in guidance, ADPH will discuss this with partners involved so that they have an opportunity to review local factors that may impact the timing of adoption.

Close Contacts (Without Symptoms)

The COVID-19 incubation period and the ideal length of quarantine continues to be 14 days after last exposure to the case. If 14 days of quarantine is not practical, 10 days is acceptable in order to improve compliance if the following conditions are met:

• Continue to monitor for symptoms daily through day 14.
• If any one of the following symptoms are observed, isolate immediately and seek testing: fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.
• Wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet from others, avoid crowds, wash hands frequently, and take other steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in case infectious without symptoms for full 14-day period and beyond

REDCap COVID-19 Report Card

ADPH has an online Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) REPORT Card that is available for reporting positive or suspected COVID-19 cases. The school nurse or principal will need to report all known positive or suspected COVID-19 cases. Please complete the entire form using the link below.

• The school nurse or principal will need to report all known positive or suspected COVID-19 cases.
• DO report ill students or staff with one or more major COVID-19 symptoms: new cough, new loss of sense of taste or smell, and/or shortness of breath difficulty breathing.
• DO report students or staff who have a positive laboratory report with or without symptoms.
• When reporting positive or suspected COVID-19 cases, upload the list of close contacts in the REPORT Card.
• DO NOT submit a COVID-19 report card on students or staff with only minor symptoms and without one of the major COVID-19 symptoms.
• DO NOT submit a report on each close contact and instead upload the list with the ill student report.
• Complete the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) REPORT Card

Back to School Toolkit

• Back to School Toolkit (Revised 03/23/21)
  Please allow Toolkit to download completely before attempting to open or navigate it.

Resources

• 3 Key Steps When Waiting for COVID-19 Test Results (CDC)
• Alabama High School Athletic Association COVID-19 Updates
• Alabama Independent School Association
• Exclusion and Readmission Criteria for Communicable Diseases in Schools and Childcare Centers (ADPH)
• Guidance and Resources for K-12 Schools (CDC)
• When to Quarantine (CDC) - Note: At this time, we do not know if someone can be re-infected with COVID-19.
• Isolation and Quarantine Timeframes for Non-Healthcare Personnel (ADPH) | Spanish Version
• Parent Checklist (ADPH) | Spanish Version
• School Contact Tracing Log (ADPH)
• Student Screening Tool (ADPH) | Spanish Version
• Symptom Log for Close Contacts | Spanish Version
• Symptoms (CDC) | Spanish Version
• Webcast: Back to School COVID-19 Training Update (ADPH)
• When to Use the COVID-19 Report Card (ADPH) | Spanish Version

Page last updated: March 25, 2021