Exposure Notices for Schools and Child Care

The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department provides exposure notices for schools and child care centers for certain communicable diseases.

Contact the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department for the following diseases:

After calling us, use the links to access exposure notices in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Click on each disease name to get more information about the disease.

E. coli O157:H7/Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (English / Spanish / Vietnamese)
Hepatitis A
Measles
Meningococcal disease
Pertussis
Salmonella (English / Spanish / Vietnamese)
Shigella (English / Spanish / Vietnamese)
Typhoid/Paratyphoid Fever (English / Spanish / Vietnamese)
Vomiting/Diarrhea (more than usual number of cases) (English / Spanish / Vietnamese)

**Also call if you suspect an outbreak of any disease.**

You do not need to call the Public Health Department about the following diseases:

Exposure Notices for Schools and Child Care (FAQ)

Can I use my own exposure notice?

No, only use exposure notices from the County of Santa Clara County Public Health Department. This applies to the diseases listed above and does not apply to COVID-19.

I have a child who is sick. What should I do?

What you should do depends on the specific illness that the child has. You may need to do one or more of the following:

Print and distribute Exposure Notices
Exclude child from school or daycare
Call the Santa Clara County Public Health Department

I'm a childcare, preschool, or daycare provider with more questions. Who can I talk to?

Please call the Santa Clara County Public Health Department Child Care Health Consultant at (408) 937-2250.

I've had several children and/or staff with the same illness, what do I do?

If you've had two or more children and/or staff in the same classroom or group with the same illness, that might be an outbreak. Notify Santa Clara County Public Health Department, Disease Prevention and Control Program: Phone: (408) 885-4214

For childcare providers and preschools only: in addition to the above, call Community Care Licensing within the next working day and follow up in 7 days with a written report (Unusual Incident Report Form Lic 624 for Centers and Unusual Incident Report Form Lic 624B for family providers).

Phone: (408) 324-2148 or fax (408) 324-2160

When can children return after being ill?

Deciding when a child can return to school depends on the illness they are diagnosed with.

You will find instructions on the exposure notices about when a child may return to school.

When should children stay home?

Deciding when a child should stay home or be sent home depends on the illness they are diagnosed with and what symptoms they are having.

For some diseases, children will need to be sent home right away. For other diseases, children may stay until the end of the day. Some diseases may not require to child to stay home at all.

You will find instructions on the exposure notices about when to send children home.

In general, children should stay home if they have a fever of 100.0 °F or above and they should not return for at least 24 hours after the last fever (without fever-reducing medicines).

Additionally, a child should stay home if they are unable to comfortably participate in classroom learning/activities, or teachers determine that they cannot care for the child without compromising their ability to care for the health and safety of the other children in the group, even if their illness is not listed as an excludable illness.

Where should exposure notices be posted?

The school or child care provider can determine where to post the exposure notice so that all parents are notified. You may send the exposure notice home with the child, tape it to the classroom door, email it, and/or post it next to the sign-in/sign-out sheet.

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