Manteca Unified has become a frontline disseminator of what people should do if they believe they are showing signs that could be attributed to COVID-19 or if they have been exposed to someone who has the coronavirus.

The district’s five full-time and two part-time nurses inform those students and staff that do not  pass the daily self-screening what steps they need to take. That includes sharing the San Joaquin County Health department’s protocols currently in place that one should seek COVID-19 testing five or six days after the first possible symptoms appear, instead of doing so immediately.

They also provide information about testing sites and such.

It might not sound like much, but 27,000 students and staff — plus their households — have a daily resource in the district. At the same time, the county health rules now in place due to the pandemic are reaching households with a combined population in excess of 60,000 people. That makes Manteca Unified one of the health department’s most impactful partners for educating people on basics such as COVID symptoms and the need for testing and when and where to do it.

“Schools have always had a health function,” noted Victoria Brunn who serves as the Manteca Unified community outreach coordinator.

That includes everything from screening for things such as hearing loss to day-to-day concerns such as kids getting sick or slightly injured at school.

“We cannot stress enough that our absolutely No. 1 concern is to make the classrooms as safe as possible for student safety and staff safety,” Brunn said.

The fact the district is one of the few that made the commitment to re-start in-person learning when the opportunity arose before the current surge hit and did so in a manner that has consistently exceeded minimum Centers for Disease Control for re-opening schools, means it is a five-day-a-week re-enforcer of COVID protocols.

The aggressive protocols and measures were put in place in a bid to make sure students could obtain the best possible education — which the district believes is in-person learning — by creating as safe as possible environments at MUSD’s 33 campuses.

An added byproduct for the greater county effort dealing with the pandemic is that 27,000 people are going through daily self-screenings that are being monitored.

The biggest of COVID protocols  are the daily mandatory self-screenings. No one — student or staff — can step onto a campus without clearing it each day.

They are stopped from going to school not only if they have tested positive for COVID or have been around someone with a confirmed case, but if they display any one of a list of symptoms on the self-screening that could be a sign they are infected.

Brunn noted that the district has raised the threshold even higher needed to secure clearance to return to school than what was in place before the winter break.

Previously, if anyone had a symptom, they would be placed on a one day hold from going to school and have a nurse contact them that day. From that follow up conversation, it would be determined what would happen next.

Now displaying any symptom — even if it is something that could indicate a cold, flu, or other non-COVID issues — results in an automatic 10-day hold against them being able to return to school. The only avenue for an early release from the ban is a verified error made while filling out the daily survey.

A student receiving a red “x” due to being a confirmed positive is out for 10 days. After contact tracing and if they meet the criteria of being 24-hour fever free and reduced symptoms they are allowed to return.

The district’s COVID-19 dashboard was updated Tuesday to reflect conditions among the greater Manteca Unified community and individual campuses.

Overall 10 students were positive for COVID compared to three weeks prior before winter break when there were 35 students with the coronavirus. Staff members, meanwhile had 76 staff members this week with COVID compared to 33 three weeks ago.

The next update of COVID data is planned for Friday.

Brunn noted the staff COVID numbers reflects the district’s policy that they must notify them immediately when they test positive even if it is during a break so that arrangements can be made to secure substitutes. Friday’s figures may see a jump in positive student numbers given those who are positive or sick may not have done the mandatory screening as they were staying home to begin with due to being ill. Typically students receive a phone call from schools when they miss several days.

Brunn noted cases in the district typical spike after vacation breaks as it mimics what is happening overall in the country.

“People tend to travel on vacation,” she said.

 Brunn noted the nurses — along with the district’s WIP team (workplace infection team) as needed — are staying on top of tracing and related issued.

 The day-to-day screening is on top of other measures ranging from moveable clear barriers for individual desks, social distancing, and masks to rolling out medical grade air scrubbers in every classroom.

Health experts call for optimum conditions to minimize the risk of COVID-19 being spread in a typical 900-square-foot classroom that involve air being recirculated twice in an hour. The Carrier OptiClean units will be set to recirculate air six times per hour using HEPA filters that capture particles as small as .03 microns.

Large droplets fall but smaller respiratory droplets can remain airborne for 30 plus minutes before they are dispatched via ventilation or captured by an air purification system.

 To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com