Santa Cruz County Public Health Division offers guidance and exposure notification support to schools and childcare providers managing communicable disease cases or outbreaks.

Schools and childcare facilities must report specific disease cases to the Public Health Department's Communicable Disease Unit at (831) 454-4114

  • E.Coli/Shiga toxin-producing E.coli
  • Pertussis (whooping cough)
  • Hepatits A
  • Salmonella
  • Measles
  • Shigella
  • Meningococcal Disease
  • Typhoid/paratyphoid fever

 

Communicable Disease toolkit for Schools & Childcare

  • For detailed instructions on how to report and respond to common communicable diseases in school and childcare settings, refer to the Communicable Disease Toolkit for Schools & Childcare. (Link to PDF) 

This resource includes links to disease-specific reporting requirements, prevention guidelines, and practical tools, such as cleaning protocols tailored for school and childcare environments. 

The toolkit also features a step-by-step outbreak management checklist to help guide your response. We recommend downloading and printing a copy for quick access during potential outbreaks. 

Consider reviewing the toolkit with your staff at least twice a year to stay prepared.

Disease reporting Requirements

In accordance with Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations (§2508), schools and childcare providers are required to report the following to Public Health: 

  • Individual cases of reportable diseases (e.g., measles, pertussis) 

  • Any unusual occurrence of disease 

  • Outbreaks that meet the reporting criteria listed below 

To report a case or outbreak, please call (831) 454-4114 and ask to speak with the  resource nurse of the day.  

Disease Outbreak Reporting Threshold
Gastrointestinal (GI) Illness

  • Three (3) or more cases of vomiting or diarrhea in a student or staff member. Diarrhea is 3 or more instances of loose stools in a 24-hour period. 

  • Symptom onset occurring within 72 hours and within the same group, such as a single classroom, sports team, or after-school group. 

  • Distribute the vomiting and diarrhea exposure notice to students and staff in 

English | Spanish 
Respiratory Illness

  • 10% or more of the total population of students and staff, facility-wide, are absent with acute respiratory illness (ARI)*/or test positive for acute respiratory illness within a 3-day period 

 

Or, 

 

  • 20% or more of students and staff in an exposed group (such as a single classroom, sports team, or after-school group) with ARI*/or positive test for acute respiratory illness, with a minimum of five (5) ill, within a 3-day period. 
Reportable Title 17 Diseases

 

 


*Schools and childcare should consult their administration or regional licensing office in the event of an outbreak. 

What steps do I need to take if a child or staff is sick?

For certain communicable diseases, refer to Table 2 in the next section to help determine the appropriate response, including:

  • Is this a reportable disease? 

  • Is an exposure notice required? 

  • Should the individual be temporarily excluded from the setting? 

  • If excluded, when is it safe for them to return?
     

If the disease or condition is not listed in Table 2, you can consult general CDPH guidance on managing symptoms of illness in school and childcare environments.

Disease information, exposure notices, and exclusion/return criteria for children and staff

Refer to the table below for information on common childhood diseases as well as reporting requirements, PDF exposure notices (available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese), and exclusion and return criteria for children and staff.

Table 2. Disease reporting, exposure notice, and exclusion/return criteria for children and staff
 

Disease/Condition Reporting Notification Exclusion Guidelines Recommended exclusion period
Linked to additional information. Is this disease reportable to Public Health? Exposure notice needed? Exclusion recommended Recommended exclusion period
Amebiasis No, unless person is a food handler No, unless instructed by Public Health in the case of a food handler Yes Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after symptom resolution
Bed Bugs No No No N/A
Campylobacter Yes No Yes Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after diarrhea resolves
Chickenpox No, unless person is hospitalized, died, or is part of an outbreak Yes, and consult with Public Health if there are concerns for exposure to pregnant or immunocompromised people Yes, with recommendations for nonimmune siblings exclusion for 21 days Symptom onset to after all blisters have scabbed
Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) No No Yes Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after diarrhea resolves
COVID-19 No, unless there is a respiratory outbreak as defined in Table 1 Yes, if there is a respiratory outbreak No, unless they meet sign/symptom-based exclusion criteria Fever free for 24 hrs and overall symptom improvement
Cryptosporidiosis Yes Yes, if recreational water exposure occurred on site - contact Public Health for exposure notice Yes Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after diarrhea resolves
E. coli O157:H7/Shiga toxin producing E. coli Yes Yes Yes Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after symptom resolution
Giardia No Yes
English | Spanish		 Yes Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after symptom resolution
Hand, foot, and mouth Disease No Yes Yes, if symptoms of fever or uncontrolled drooling with mouth sores Symptom onset until 24 hours without fever (without fever reducing medication)
Head Lice No Yes Yes After adequate treatment
Hepatitis A Yes Yes - contact Public Health for exposure notice Yes Symptom onset until after 7 days of symptom onset and resolution of diarrhea
HiB (Haemophilus influenzae Type b) - Invasive Yes (if less than 5 years old, any invasive disease is reportable; if 5 and older, only meningitis cases are reportable) Yes - contact Public Health for exposure notice Yes Symptom onset to symptom improvement and initiation of antibiotics
Impetigo No Yes Yes Symptom onset until appropriate treatment initiated. Blisters should be covered
Influenza No, unless there is a respiratory outbreak as defined in Table 1, or person was less than 18 years old and died Yes, if there is a respiratory outbreak No, unless they meet sign/symptom-based exclusion criteria Fever free for 24 hrs. and overall symptom improvement
Measles Yes Yes - contact Public Health for exposure notice Yes  
Meningococcal Meningitis Yes Yes - contact Public Health for exposure notice Yes  
MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) No No No N/A
Mumps Yes Yes - contact Public Health for exposure notice Yes  
Norovirus No, unless a food handler or gastrointestinal outbreak Yes - use vomiting/diarrhea exposure notice Yes Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after symptom resolution
Parvovirus B19 (Fifth Disease) No   Yes From fever onset to 24 hrs. after fever resolution (without medication)
Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Yes Yes - contact Public Health for exposure notice Yes From symptom onset to 5 days post initiation of antibiotic treatment
Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) No Yes No N/A
Pinworm No Yes No N/A
Respiratory illness (cause unknown) No, unless there is a respiratory outbreak as defined in Table 1 Yes, if there is an outbreak No Fever free for 24 hrs. and overall symptom improvement
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) No, unless there is a respiratory outbreak as defined in Table 1 Yes No Fever free for 24 hrs. and overall symptom improvement
Ringworm No Yes Yes After treatment initiation
Roseola (Sixth disease) No Yes No From fever onset to 24 hrs. after fever resolution (without medication)
Rotavirus No, unless a food handler Yes - use vomiting/diarrhea exposure notice Yes Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after symptom resolution
Rubella Yes Yes - contact Public Health for exposure notice Yes From symptom onset to 7 days post rash onset
Salmonella Yes   Yes Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after symptom resolution
Scabies No   Yes From symptom onset to post appropriate treatment
Shigella Yes   Yes Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after symptom resolution
Shingles No Yes   Rash onset until all lesions have crusted
Strep Throat/Scarlet Fever No   Yes Symptom onset until 24 hours post initiation of antibiotics with symptom improvement
Typhoid/Paratyphoid Fever Yes   Yes Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after symptom resolution
Vomiting/diarrhea (cause unknown) No, unless a food handler or gastrointestinal outbreak as defined in Table 1 Yes, if there is an outbreak   Symptom onset until 48 hrs. after symptom resolution

Assistance and Resources