• Fever 100.4 or higher or chills
• New Cough (for someone with allergies or asthma, a change from baseline)
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• New onset of headache (for those with migraines or other chronic headache syndrome, a change from baseline)
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat (for anyone with chronic allergies, a change from baseline)
• Congestion or runny nose (for anyone with chronic allergies, a change from baseline)
• Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or diarrhea

The definition of a “close contact” continues to remain in flux. We have seen both the CDC and the TEA revise these definitions over the last several weeks.  Ultimately, we expect that the Dallas County Health Department will instruct us to follow one of the then-current state or national level definitions from an authority like the CDC as of the time of any positive cases.  We will continue to monitor these definitions as we seek to keep our students and faculty safe and to keep our students in school as much as possible. 

Any individual who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19 must stay at home throughout the infection period, and cannot return to campus until the TCA Clinic screens the individual to determine that all three of the following criteria for re-entry have been met:

• at least twenty-four hours (24hours) have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications);
• the individual has improvement in symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and
• at least ten days have passed since symptoms first appeared. If no symptoms, ten days from date of positive test.

The CDC guidance on Contact Tracing for COVID-19 states: “[Asymptomatic] close contacts who were diagnosed with COVID-19 either by (1) a positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA within the last 90 days or (2) a healthcare provider based on symptoms, and 90 days or less have passed since their symptoms began do not have to quarantine, and retesting is not recommended.” 

If an individual were to develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19, then the individual should isolate and be evaluated by a medical provider to be assessed for a possible re-infection of COVID-19 or an alternative etiology.

Yes, parents will be notified via email or phone call by the TCA Clinic.

If a student or employee has a lab confirmed positive diagnosis of COVID-19, contact tracing will be performed as soon as possible.  Under guidance from Dallas County Health & Human Services anyone determined to be a close contact of the lab confirmed positive individual will be required to quarantine for 14 days from date of exposure.

All members of a positive individual's household must quarantine for 14 days. 

• Quarantine – keeps someone who was in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 away from others.
• Isolation – keeps someone who is sick or tested positive for COVID-19 without any symptoms away from others, even in their own home.

If a student tests positive for COVID-19 or has COVID-19-related symptoms, you MUST notify the TCA Clinic as soon as possible. The TCA nurses will discuss with next steps with you.

If there is a lab confirmed positive case of COVID-19, the parents who have children in that school  (LS, MS or US) will be notified of the grade where the positive case occurred. The name, sex, class or section of the positive individual will not be disclosed.  If an individual is a contact of a lab confirmed positive case, contact tracing will be conducted and the parents will be notified if their child is a close contact of the positive individual and if so, they will be required to quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure.

Our close contact A close contact is required to quarantine for 14 days from date of exposure.  All individuals who have been completed quarantine, must be cleared by the TCA Clinic to return to campus.

No. Once an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 has completed his or her isolation period, he or she  must be cleared by the TCA Clinic to return to campus. 

Once an individual who was determined to be a close contact has completed his or her quarantine period, he or she must be cleared by the TCA Clinic to return to campus. 

If the individual has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and wants to return to campus before completing the three-step criteria to re-enter campus, the individual must either:

• obtain a medical professional’s note clearing the individual for return based on an alternative diagnosis or
• obtain an acute infection tests at an approved testing location (https://tdem.texas.gov/covid-19/) that comes back negative for COVID-19.

In the case of an individual who has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and who is not evaluated by a medical professional or tested for COVID-19, such individual is assumed to have COVID-19.  The individual may not return to campus until the individual has completed the three-step criteria for re-entry.

• At least twenty-four hours (24hours) have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications
• The individual has improvement in symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and
• At least ten days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

No. The TCA Clinic is required to notify Dallas County Health & Human Services of any lab confirmed positive COVID-19 case of any of TCA students and employees.

If during the day, a student begins to feel ill with COVID-19 like symptoms, they will be taken to our isolation room where a nurse will evaluate them and contact the parents to come and pick up the child.

TCA will not be performing any testing on campus, but can provide the name of locations where an individual can get tested.

Yes.  They will be screened upon arriving at campus.

TCA will notify Dallas County Health & Human Services. They will begin contact tracing and we will follow their instructions of who is a close contact. Any close contact will be required to quarantine for 14 days from exposure.

Per Governor’s Abbott’s order, all faculty and staff and all students 10-years-old and older are required to wear face coverings. Students under 10 will wear face coverings including masks, sheilds and gaiters when moving in transition or where physical distancing is not possible. All other students are required to wear face masks. Updated: shields and gaiters are NOT acceptable for students 10-years-old and older. 

All face coverings should be limited to simple colors and designs, with no faces on them and nothing distracting or political on them. 

Yes. Face coverings will be provided by parents.

Face coverings should be limited to simple colors and designs, with no faces on them and nothing distracting or political on them.

• Temperature 100.4⁰ F or higher within last 24 hours
• Taken fever-reducing medication within last 24 hours
• Sore throat
• Uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing (for students with chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline)
• Shortness of breath
• Body aches
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Vomiting 
• Abdominal pain
• Onset of severe headache
• Loss of taste or smell
• Congestion or runny nose
• Fatigue 
• Had close contact (within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes) with a person with confirmed COVID-19 within past 14 days

You may answer "no" to those screening questions that concern recurring symptoms your child frequently has; you know your child better than anyone. Normal symptoms do not require staying home or assessment by a physician each time. We are looking for a change from baseline. If your child is not feeling well, symptoms are worse than normal or new symptoms appear, you would want to keep that student home and have him/her evaluated by a health care provider.

Yes. Parent who are not comfortable with their children returning to on-campus learning may choose at-home learning for their children. This option requires a six-week commitment to at-home learning. At the end of the six weeks, parents may then choose to send their children to TCA for on-campus learning.

Because of COVID-19 and out of an abundance of caution, TCA is not allowing outside tutors or therapists to come on campus at this time. If/when this changes, TCA will inform you. If you have specific questions, please contact: Julie Scheer (LS), Shawn Ledebur (MS) or Janie Heard (US). 

Visitors, including parents, guardians and volunteers will be limited on campus so TCA can further protect the safety of our faculty, staff and students. Any visitors, parents, guardians or volunteers on campus will be screened and have their temperatures taken to determine if they have COVID-19 symptoms, are lab confirmed with COVID-19 or have had close contact with an individual who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-10, and if so, they must remain off campus until they meet the criteria for re-entry.

For the first six weeks, there will be no volunteers on campus, and parents and other visitors will not be allowed in campus buildings. If you need to drop-off or pick-up your child outside of normal entry and dismissal times, you should park in the designated pick-up area at the respective school entrance, call the school office and your child will be brought out to your car.

Before/after school care will be offered on a limited, reservation only basis. No drop-ins will be allowed. Lower School before-school care will run from 7:30-7:45 a.m. each weekday morning, and Middle School before-school care will run from 7:15-7:35 a.m. each weekday morning. After-school care will run until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 5 p.m. on Fridays. Priority will have been given to those families who applied by the August 3 deadline. All other requests for care should be sent by email to Justin Zappia (jzappia@trinitychristian.org).

Sage will be offered for students in grades 3-12 using appropriate health and safety guidelines. Students in grades preK-2 will be required to bring in their lunches.

At this time, no off-campus field trips are scheduled. This may change as the year progresses and if conditions warrant.

School divisions may hold chapels and assemblies in situations where they are able to do so safely and practice physical distancing.

At this time, no after-school enrichment classes are scheduled for 2020-21.

Students will participate in observed hand-washing/sanitizing at regular intervals. Schools will have supplies of hand sanitizer and soap to allow for frequent hand-washing, and classrooms and school facilities will be disinfected regularly throughout the day.

Additional hand-washing stations will be placed on the LS playground, US outside the eating area and MS between main building and MCB.