Illness Guidelines and Protocols

Please refer to the following guidelines when you have a sick child.

With any possible Covid symptoms, a negative Covid test result or note of alternative diagnosis from a healthcare provider is needed prior to returning to school or work. Home testing is accepted. Screenshots of those results should be sent to nurse@tsdch.org. If you opt for home antigen testing and symptoms persist, a second antigen test result should be submitted, with testing done at least 24 hours after the first.

People with Covid 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. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms.

Anyone who is a close contact of a Covid-positive person should mask for ten days after the last contact, monitor themselves closely for symptoms, and stay home at the first sign of illness.

Possible symptoms include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• 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. Symptoms may change with new Covid variants and can vary depending on vaccination status. The CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about Covid.

As always, everyone who must be free of any fever, vomiting, or diarrhea for at least 24 hours prior to returning to school or work.

Protocols for the 2022–2023 School Year

For the 2022–2023 school year, Trinity has modified many of its quarantine protocols. Masks are optional for all students and staff, indoors and outdoors. Anyone with a positive Covid test will need to quarantine for 5 days, and masking is required for 5 additional days after the 5-day quarantine due to a positive Covid test. If someone in the household tests positive for Covid, those who are asymptomatic may still come to school but must mask for 10 days after their last exposure.

Anyone who feels unwell is encouraged to remain at home and get tested. If you are symptomatic, a note of alternative diagnosis from a healthcare provider or a negative Covid test result is required to return to school. PCR testing is preferred; however, if you opt for antigen testing and symptoms persist, a second antigen test should be performed no less than 24 hours after the first.

The school will no longer communicate positive Covid cases to parents, nor will the school be conducting contact tracing.

Encouraging Vaccination and Booster Shots

Achieving high levels of Covid-19 vaccination among eligible students, as well as teachers, staff, and household members, is one of the most critical strategies to help schools safely maintain full operations. We do not require vaccinations for faculty, staff or students.

Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy against Covid-19. People who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 are at low risk of symptomatic or severe illness, including hospitalization or death. A growing body of evidence suggests that people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 are also less likely to have an asymptomatic infection or transmit Covid-19 to others than are people who are not fully vaccinated. We recommend that everyone who is eligible for a vaccination and booster shot receive them, as they provide the most possible immunity to Covid-19.

Trinity's policy is that faculty and staff are not required to share protected health information. In order to protect the privacy of those who choose not to share this information, Trinity faculty and staff have been asked not to share their vaccination status.

Guiding Principles

As the school continues to respond to the pandemic, Trinity's mission remains at the forefront.

The following principles will guide Trinity's ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

1. The glory of God is the most important thing. Non Nobis: this is our mission and our commitment, and COVID does not change this at all. We should ask, how can our response to this and in this give glory to God, and make Christ’s name great?
2. Safety is a top priority. This includes physical safety, to minimize viral exposure to our students and faculty; emotional safety; and spiritual safety, teaching students that God will hide us in his shelter in the day of trouble.
3. Trinity’s distinctive mission (classical, Christian, rich, and unhurried; truth, goodness, and beauty) has deep roots and is adaptable to all sorts of conditions. We have remained true to that mission, and we will continue to do so.
4. God never wastes a crisis. God works through times of disruption—remember the story of Joseph. He can use this time to build character, to deepen our commitment to Trinity’s mission, and to help us clarify our vision.
5. Relationships are central to Trinity. Students are known and loved. Faculty model what it means to follow Christ and learn.
6. The public authorities are God’s servants, and we owe them respect and honor, especially in these times of crisis (Romans 13).

Our Non Nobis core value means that we must be willing to sacrifice our own needs for the good and safety of others, especially those who are most vulnerable. The months of remote learning and pandemic restrictions have been a huge Non Nobis opportunity and experience for our school.