San Mateo County Schools Prepared for In-Person Learning after the Winter Break

San Mateo County, CA — The San Mateo County Office of Education continues to work closely with San Mateo County Health and officials in both the Governor’s Office and California Department of Public Health to support safe in-person learning for students and staff as they return to campuses from the winter holidays amid another COVID surge.

“San Mateo County school leaders and staff have diligently and effectively followed the pillars of COVID safety for schools throughout the course of the pandemic, including masking, health screenings, COVID-19 testing, and contact tracing,” said San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Nancy Magee. “They will continue to follow these protocols to create a safe and smooth return to in-person learning and instruction.”

Further bolstering these measures in the county are vaccination rates above 90 percent among education staff, ongoing efforts to vaccinate 5-11 year-olds, and increased COVID-19 testing after the holidays.

To support with testing, the California Department of Public Health sent out rapid tests for student use in the first weeks after the winter break. The San Mateo County Office of Education has already received these tests and is working to distribute to the county’s public school districts in preparation for the return of students to campus.

At the heart of all of these measures is a shared commitment to providing students with safe in-person instruction. “The importance of in-person learning for the academic and social development of all our students cannot be overstated,” explained Superintendent Magee. “Due to the partnership of San Mateo County Health, the San Mateo County Office of Education, and our local districts and schools, San Mateo County has been and will continue to be successful in supporting in-person learning for our students.”

San Mateo County Health encourages families to vaccinate their children who are eligible and has arranged several school-based vaccination clinics in January and February. Information can be found on the MyTurn and County Health websites.