Covid 19 Information

The following information outlines our Covid 19 Mitigation Strategies and the procedures that need to be followed in order to keep our school community as safe and healthy as possible. These procedures are based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), and the St. Joseph County Health Department, as well as adhere to directives received from the Catholic Schools Office (CSO). These procedures will be reviewed and updated based on circumstances in our local community and in our school community. Please read over these procedures carefully and reference them often throughout the school year. Please reach out if you have any questions.

DAILY At-Home Health Screening for Symptoms: This step is a critical layer in our overall Covid Mitigation Strategy, and parents play an integral role in helping to keep our school community safe and healthy, and learning in person. Please monitor your child(ren) carefully and often for any concerning symptoms.


At-Home Daily Health Screening:

A health screen is required of all students prior to arrival at the building every day. Parents are expected to take their child’s temperature every morning. If it is 100 degrees or higher, the child should NOT come to school. Additionally, students should not come to school if they answer “yes” to any of the following questions:

  • In the last 14 days, have you had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19?

  • In the last 14 days, have you had close contact with someone who had symptoms of COVID-19?

  • Do you have ANY of the following symptoms?


Please keep your child(ren) home from school if they are displaying any symptoms that could be related to Covid, including:

  • Fever

  • Cough

  • Sore throat

  • Congestion/runny nose

  • Headache

  • Stomach issues (nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains)

  • New loss of taste or smell

  • If they have “just have a cold” or “allergies”


If any of these symptoms are present, do not send your child to school. Please call or email me and we can discuss the safest next steps.


If your child has a fever, please keep ALL SJGS siblings home. If your child has one of the other symptoms, siblings are ok to come to school.


In order to protect the health and safety of all, it is essential that parents are faithful to this screening and do not send a sick child to school. Parents should contact their child’s doctor right away and notify the school at 574-234-0451 for further direction and assistance.


Covid 19 Testing Information Vaccine Resources for Students >5 years old


Next Steps: Once you have determined that your child is symptomatic and is not well enough to attend school, please do the following:

  1. Keep all siblings (unless they are vaccinated) home as well until more information is gathered.


  1. Contact your child’s doctor to set up either an appointment for your child to be assessed and/or a Covid test (PCR or Rapid Antigen acceptable, At home tests not accepted at this point).

    1. If your symptomatic child does not visit their doctor or get tested, then they will need to isolate at home for 10 days, starting with the first day symptoms developed. In order to return they need to be fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medications for 24 hours AND have resolution of symptoms.


  1. Call and/or email the school to let us know that your child is going to be absent and if applicable, any plan that your child’s doctor has laid out related to assessment and testing.


  1. In order for your child to safely return to school, they need to be fever-free for over 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medicine) and have resolution of concerning symptoms.

    1. We will also need either a written note from their doctor stating when they can safely return to school, or a negative Covid test (PCR or Rapid Antigen acceptable).


  1. If your child’s symptoms are otherwise explained by a doctor or your child tests negative for Covid, siblings are free to return to school.



Reporting a Positive or Pending Test for COVID-19

Parents are required to inform the school if their student, or anyone in the household, tests positive for COVID-19 or is awaiting test results. Parents may call the school office at 574-234-0451 or email mgreen@stjosephgradeschool.com if after school hours and on weekends.


Updated CDC/ISDH Guidelines for Isolation and Quarantine

(Note: These newest guidelines (12/27/2021) are options to shorten isolation and quarantine, with restrictions. Parents will always have the choice to stay with the original isolation and quarantine guidelines)


If student/staff member tests positive for Covid:

  • Stay home in isolation for 5 days

  • May return to school on Day 6 if asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving, fever free for 24 hours without medication, and must wear a mask for Days 6-10 in classroom/building (if fever persists, stay home)

    • Lunch will need to be either in separate part of classroom or alternate location…to be determined prior to return

  • Can resume extracurricular activities on Day 6 only if able to wear a mask properly at all times for Days 6-10, above conditions are met and cleared by physician. (American Academy of Pediatrics)



If student/staff member is exposed to someone with COVID-19 in or outside the classroom, including home contacts/family members (close contact):


1. If fully vaccinated (have received all doses of vaccines + 2 weeks, including booster, if age-eligible):

  • May remain in school as long as continue to be asymptomatic

  • Wear a mask at all times in classroom for at least 10 days (quarantine ends 10 days after the last day of exposure to the positive case)

  • Test on Day 5, if possible

  • May continue extracurricular activities; mask at all times while not actively performing or actively playing during your sporting activity

  • If symptoms develop, get a test and stay home

    • If the test is positive, follow isolation guidance

    • If the test is negative, return to school when symptoms have resolved


2. If unvaccinated or partially vaccinated:

  • Stay home for 5 days after the last day of exposure to the positive case, and test on Day 5 if possible

  • May return to class on Day 6 if asymptomatic, wear a mask at all times in classroom for at least 5 days (quarantine ends 10 days after the last day of exposure to the positive case)

  • No extracurricular activities for 5 days of home quarantine. May resume Day 6 only if able to wear a mask at all times (including while actively performing or playing during your sporting activity) for Days 6-10.

  • If symptoms develop, get a test and stay home

    • If the test is positive, follow isolation guidance

    • If the test is negative, return to school when symptoms have resolved


Important Changes to Note:

  • The Fully vaccinated definition has been updated. Now for adults >18 years old, in order to be considered Fully vaccinated and avoid quarantine, individuals will need to have received their full vaccine dose, plus their booster dose.

    • For our students who received their second dose over 5 months ago (students aged 12-15), it is highly recommended that they receive their booster dose as soon as it becomes available.

      1. For school purposes only, the Indiana State Department of Health has maintained that if a student has received their 2 dose vaccine series, and it has been 2 weeks since the second dose, they ARE STILL considered fully vaccinated for the purpose of avoiding quarantine if found to be a close contact to a positive case at school.

    • For students aged 5-12, booster doses are not available, so they are considered fully vaccinated if they have received 2 doses (+ 2 weeks) of the Pfizer vaccine.

Updated January 16, 2022: The CDC has shared the different definitions related to fully vaccinated and booster doses:

Up to date means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible.

Fully vaccinated means a person has received their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Indiana State Department of Health has clarified this further to maintain that students who are fully vaccinated (but not yet up to date or “boosted”) are still able to avoid quarantine if found to be a close contact in the classroom, as long as they remain free of symptoms.


As you can see, all of this relates to timing of the vaccine, so if your child(ren) has received their Covid vaccine, please make sure that I have a copy of their card as I will need to refer to dates if they are found to be a close contact


  • Fully vaccinated students who are close contacts, therefore allowed to remain at school, will now be required to wear a mask for 10 days following exposure.




How illness will be handled during the school day:

If your child were to complain of not feeling well during the school day, the following protocol will be followed:

  1. The student will be sent to the school nurse.


  1. The school nurse will talk with the student, check their temperature and assess for any of the above described symptoms.


  1. If, after discussion with the student, ANY of the above symptoms are present and concerning, the student will be sent home. If testing is available, the option to test (rapid antigen test) symptomatic students will be discussed with parents.


  1. The parent(s) will be called, and the nurse and the parent(s) will discuss the situation and determine next steps. If the parents cannot be reached, the emergency contact will be contacted.

    1. Depending on the situation, there may be times when all siblings will need to go home as well.


  1. Similar to the above protocol, if a student goes home sick from school, they will need either a written note from their doctor stating when they can safely return to school, or a documented negative Covid test.

  1. If siblings were sent home and if your ill child’s symptoms are otherwise explained by a doctor or your ill child tests negative, siblings are free to return to school.


Contact Tracing

If a student tests positive in the classroom, contact tracing will occur, following procedures put forth by the Indiana State Department of Health:


  1. The school is notified of a positive student (most often by the parents).


  1. The date of possible transmission for contact tracing is identified:

    1. For symptomatic students, 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms.

    2. If asymptomatic, two days prior to the date the test was administered.


  1. With the established date of possible transmission in mind, seating charts will be pulled and assessed for all classes the student attended, including lunch, and other applicable activities.


  1. Regardless of masking, any student who has been less than 3ft from the positive person for more than 15 minutes (in a 24 hour period) will be considered a close contact.


  1. If the positive student is wearing a mask, any students within 3-6ft, and also wearing a mask, will NOT be considered a close contact, and will NOT have to be quarantined, unless they develop symptoms.


  1. Any students within 3-6ft of the masked infected person, but NOT wearing masks, will have to quarantine.


  1. If the positive student is not wearing a mask, then all students within 6ft of the positive student, for more than 15 minutes (in a 24 hour period) will be considered a close contact, regardless if they are wearing a mask or not.


  1. Vaccinated students or students who have tested positive for Covid in the past 90 days, who are considered close contacts, do not need to quarantine. They do need to continue to wear a mask for 10 days following exposure, and monitor closely for symptoms during the 14 days following exposure.


  1. Once close contacts have been identified, the parents of those students will be contacted and the situation explained.

    1. The parents of the close contacts will be given information related to quarantine, including return to school options, symptoms to watch for, testing information, etc.


  1. The administration and student’s teachers will be notified of the student’s need to quarantine, and academic arrangements will be made.


  1. The school nurse will be in close contact with families throughout the quarantine process, and will assist if needs arise.


Indiana State Department of Health resources related to contact tracing:


If, after contact tracing has taken place, your child has been determined to be a close contact due to an exposure at school, they will be sent home for a 5-10 day quarantine. Day 1 of that quarantine starts the day after the last possible exposure that they had to the positive student.


There are options for returning after quarantine. These options will be discussed with parents via email (see new guidelines discussed above). All student situations are taken on a case by case basis, taking into account all specific details of the situation.


Updated Guidance for Returning after Isolation and Quarantine

The Indiana State Department of Health states the following: Vaccination is the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. A growing body of evidence suggests that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are less likely to have an asymptomatic infection or transmit COVID-19 to others than people who are not fully vaccinated. In most settings, people who are fully vaccinated can safely resume activities they did before the pandemic.

Vaccination is the BEST way to avoid having your child need to quarantine at home.

Update: the Pfizer vaccine has now been approved for children aged 5 and above.

Update: as of May 13, 2021 the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for 12-15 year olds. Please see the following information:

Pfizer Vaccine for 12-15 year olds


Fully vaccinated students who have been exposed to someone and with Covid-19 and are deemed close contacts, DO NOT need to quarantine, unless they develop symptoms.

This includes exposure that occurs during the school day OR during a school sponsored extra-curricular activity (ICCL sports, clubs, etc).

Covid Vaccinations:

If a student is vaccinated, we ask that parents provide the School Nurse a copy of the student’s vaccination card.

If a student does not have a vaccination card on file, he/she will be required to follow health protocols for unvaccinated students (i.e. quarantine when identified as a close contact).


Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

  • SJGS recognizes that students have pre-existing conditions that exhibit symptoms similar to that of Covid-19 (i.e., seasonal allergies, asthma, etc). A note from the student's doctor must be on file in the student's health file documenting ANY pre-existing condition(s). A documented record of a student's health history is important and will be helpful as the School Nurse evaluates student symptoms and illness at school. Unless a note is on file for the student, any student exhibiting symptoms of Covid 19 will be sent home and directed to be seen by their doctor and/or tested.

Communication

  • Again this year, it is extremely important that parents communicate with the school related to student absences. If your child is going to be late to school due to an appointment or is staying home for any reason, please be sure to call or email the school with that information so that we are aware, as student absences are being tracked daily, and calls will be made or emails sent to parents of absent children.


Updated 2021-2022 SJGS Health Protocol

Please feel free to email me: Kharshman@stjosephgradeschool.com or call the school at 574-234-0451 to discuss any questions you have related to this process.