Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly between people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet) through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

The TSC school board will consider the information published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), and local health department recommendations and guidelines related to COVID-19 when making decisions for school plans and protocols pertaining to COVID-19. TSC Health Services will follow COVID plans and protocols set forth by the TSC school board.

Important updates:

Current Information

Exclusion Criteria

Students with vomiting, diarrhea, undiagnosed skin rashes, eye infections, or fever over 100° should not attend school. Students exhibiting these symptoms at school will be sent home.

With vomiting and diarrhea, the school nurse will evaluate any associated circumstances and other symptoms before making an exclusion decision. Children vomit for reasons other than illness, including coughing, stress, exertion, reflux and food intolerance.

Students with vomiting, diarrhea, or fever over 100º should not return to school until the symptoms have resolved without medication for 24 hours.

Students with pink eye may return to school with a doctor’s note when the symptoms subside or when a student shows treatment has begun with appropriate eye drops. Contagious skin rashes should be reported to your school nurse and a note will be required by your child’s physician to return to school.

Per ISDH and TCHD-Doctor’s notes for students sent home from school for suspected COVID symptoms should state that the student has been evaluated and cleared to return for a non-COVID related illness.

Examples of what the note might say: “Student may return to school on [date], and his/her illness was not related to COVID-19,” or, “Student’s illness was not COVID-related, the student has an alternate diagnosis and may return to school on [date].”
This is not a HIPAA violation.
The provider’s contact information also must be included.
The provider should note any additional criteria to return to school.

Please remember with all of these exclusion criteria that our job is to facilitate students remaining in school. Our goal is to have the child miss as little class time as possible.

From the School Nurse

Mental Health

Preventive Measures

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyday preventive measures to control the spread of COVID-19. These include:

Staying home when sick and avoiding close contact with sick people
Frequent, proper handwashing using soap and water for at least 20 seconds or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
Avoiding touching your mouth, nose or eyes with unwashed hands
Practicing respiratory etiquette (e.g., covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or upper sleeve)
Routinely cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces using usual cleaning/disinfection products according to the product label.

Quarantine Protocols

TSC schools will no longer do contact tracing for positive cases at school.
TSC schools will no longer require quarantine of close contacts, who remain symptom free, regardless of where the exposure occurred. Close contacts should monitor closely for symptoms, stay home from work or school if any symptoms develop, and be tested for COVID prior to returning to work or school.

Symptoms

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

Fever or chills (greater than 100 or school board policy if threshold is lower)
Cough (for students with chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline)
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.

Call your doctor for advice, prior to going to the office, clinic, or hospital, if you:

Develop symptoms and have been in close contact with someone known to have COVID-19 OR
Have recently traveled from an area with widespread or ongoing community spread of COVID-19

Testing

Update 8/18/2022:

PCR, rapid antigen, and home COVID test results are accepted by schools.
Positive home tests: A photo or copy of a positive home COVID test result should be forwarded to the child's school and/or school nurse for documentation purposes and current isolation guidance should be followed.
Students with a negative test result can return to school when they have had improving symptoms and no fever for at least 24 hours.

Update 9/17/2021:
The Indiana State Department of Health recently updated their guidance related to COVID testing options that can be accepted by Indiana Schools. Per ISDH, home COVID tests with a positive result can be accepted by schools and no follow up/confirmatory testing is required. Home COVID tests with a negative result will not be accepted by the schools. Negative home COVID tests must still be confirmed by a follow up rapid or PCR test done at a testing facility for symptomatic and non-symptomatic students and staff.

Update 8/27/2021:
The Indiana State Department of Health recently updated their guidance related to COVID testing options that can be accepted by Indiana Schools. Confirmatory PCR tests are no longer required for antigen (rapid) tests performed in a clinical setting (pharmacy, MD office, state test site). Either a PCR or an antigen (rapid) test result performed in a clinical setting will suffice for testing for COVID-19 for both asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. Home tests will not be accepted and will need to be confirmed by a rapid or PCR COVID test done in a clinical setting.

TSC students with close contact exposure to a family member or person exhibiting Covid symptoms with a pending Covid test result, may be instructed to isolate at home until those test results are received. Additional isolation or quarantine time may be recommended by the health department or physician; this information should be communicated with your child’s school. Documentation may be requested for attendance purposes.

TSC administration and health services will consider recommendations from the ISDH or physicians related to quarantine and isolation times for individuals and families who have close exposure to a known positive covid case. Documentation may be requested for attendance purposes.

When possible, families are encouraged to submit attendance documentation electronically to their child’s school.

Parents can contact the IN State Department of Health Covid hotline at 1-877-826-001 or the Tippecanoe County Health Department for questions related to Covid-19.

School Children and Testing for COVID-19

The following is offered to help parents address questions related to their children and possible COVID-19 exposure in the school setting.

The best place to get advice and guidance when you are worried is to contact your child’s doctor to discuss symptoms and testing options. The physician will recommend the proper pathways for care and facilitate testing as needed.

If your child is sent home from school with illness or concerns about COVID-19 infection, but does not have a medical emergency, please do not seek testing or evaluation through the emergency room. The emergency room is unable to provide outpatient testing or return to school letters.

Indiana University Health offers a free virtual clinic for COVID-19 screening using the IU Health Virtual Visit app. This free tool is available in Spanish and to all regardless of age. There you can connect with a healthcare provider and review your child’s symptoms. The virtual screening team will recommend the proper pathways for care and facilitate testing as needed.

Per ISDH and TCHD-PCR testing is recommended for anyone experiencing COVID symptoms. If a negative rapid antigen test is received for a symptomatic person, the school may request a follow-up PCR COVID test or a doctor’s note stating that the student’s illness is non-COVID related and that they are cleared to return to school prior to allowing the student to return to school.

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Coronavirus (COVID-19)