Since our students are too young to be vaccinated at this time, we have added the following policies to keep our community and students as safe as possible:

• Required Monthly Student Covid Testing

• Quarantine and testing for travel and acceptance back into school.

• Guidance for families who have children in, or work in public schools with modified quarantine policies.

General Testing for Children and Staff

• All staff are required to test every two weeks.

• All children are required to test monthly or after major breaks (fall weekend, winter break).

• All children and staff must test after travel (see travel definitions below)

Note: This can be an at-home test (available at several CVS, Walgreens or Safeway stores) OR at school (done by the laboratory that sends a nurse every two weeks to the Taylor campus).

Travel Quarantine and Testing: Vaccinated or Unvaccinated

Local Travel by car with household:

Any overnight stay at another location, and in close contact with individuals outside of one’s household, masked or unmasked.

• Close Contact: Within 6 feet of someone (vaccinated or unvaccinated) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period

• Exception: Individuals outside of the household, who are 1) vaccinated and 2) have negative test results 12 to 24 hours prior to visit.

For situations other than the exception listed above:
After travel away, children or staff must quarantine for three (3) days and then test with a negative result before returning to school. If the test is positive, follow required isolation protocol.

Travel by Public Transportation:

• If vaccinated, children or staff must quarantine for three (3) days and then test with a negative result before returning to school. If the test is positive, follow required isolation protocol.

• If unvaccinated, any travel on bus, plane or train requires seven (7) day quarantine per CDC recommendations, testing on day 3-5, and then test with a negative result before returning to school. If the test is positive, follow required isolation protocol.

International Travel:

After international travel, children or staff must quarantine for seven (7) days and then test with a negative result before returning to school. If the test is  positive, follow required isolation protocol.

Visit Quarantine and Testing: Vaccinated or Unvaccinated

NOTE: Visit definition: Overnight stay at your home by someone outside of your household

1. In-home visitation (vaccinated visitor): If the visitor tests negative upon arrival, the child may attend school, and should test when the visitor leaves.  There is no need to quarantine

2. In-home visitation (unvaccinated visitor):  If the visitor tests negative upon arrival:

   • The child should remain home during the visit.

   • The child should quarantine for three (3) days following the visit.

   • The child should test negative the morning prior to return to school.

Higher Risk Social Situation Quarantine

NOTE: Higher Risk Social definition: Unmasked group gatherings outside of your household; Close contact with an infected person

After all higher-risk situations, children or staff must quarantine for three (3) days and then test with a negative result before returning to school. If the test is positive, follow the required isolation protocol.

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Children with Siblings or Parents Working in Schools with Modified or No Quarantine

Modified quarantine (allowing children who may have been exposed, to attend school, testing every three days over a ten-day period) is not an acceptable practice for our covid protocol at TCU/MEISA.

In order to reduce risk to our students, if a sibling or teacher/parent is in a class in which a student has tested positive, the TCU/MEISA student must stay home for seven days, and after the third test has been done by the sibling/teacher, the TCU/MEISA student will be required to test before returning to TCU/MEISA.

This includes children or adults who participate in after-school activities in which someone in their group tests positive or if any member of the TCU student’s household is exposed to another individual who has tested positive.