Health, Wellness, & Covid-19

Yes! Timothy is returning to campus on August 19. Students pre-12th grade will be on campus all day, 5 days a week in full compliance with state and local health department guidelines. Many of the large public schools surrounding Timothy are up to five times our population even when they are at 50% capacity. Please know that Timothy intends to do everything possible to continue with on campus/in-person learning.

The summaries of our plans are on our website. You may read about some of the differences to expect from a “normal” day at school. We’ve put together the video at the top of this page to help visualize some of the changes. It is entertaining and kid-friendly! We recommend you watch it with your child(ren). Tell them Troy is in the video! Plenty of things about in-person learning will look very familiar, including five full days a week.

Yes! This was outlined a few weeks ago. We were one of the first schools to roll out our health and academic plans for 2020-2021. We fully respect that some families will need to start with us remotely. As a matter of fact, our remote learning plan 2.0 is the next generation of our plan from the spring. We’ve made revisions based on further research and your feedback in our spring surveys. Our plan was held up in a Baylor University cohort earlier this summer as a model of excellence and best practice. We’ve had other Christian schools reach out to us for guidance as they’ve heard about our plan. If you choose to continue with Timothy virtually for a while, rest assured that your child(ren) will continue to receive a best-in-class education.

Yes, we are continuing our partnership with First Student. The bus health plan can be found here. If you missed the earlier communications from the business office and would like to sign up for the bus, please reach out to Donna Eakley in the business office by phone at 630.782.4076 or by email at eakley@timothychristian.com. It is likely that bus ridership will be down this year, so we are expecting more vehicles on campus at AM drop-off and PM pick-up. It will be more important than ever to keep the line moving. Please do your best to drive safely and alertly, obeying the restriction on cell phone use while driving on campus. If you are able to car-pool, it would be very helpful.

In a recent school wide survey, 72% of respondents preferred face coverings/masks to be optional in the classroom. The original recommendation from the Timothy health task force (prior to the release of the guidance of the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health) was to require face coverings/masks at arrival, departure, and during passing periods. If allowable, we will strongly consider making masks optional in the classroom. You likely have seen that this is being litigated across the country. In the meantime, face coverings/masks during the school day will remain a part of our health plan for students and staff alike. At this time, students will bring their own [appropriate, please] face coverings/masks from home. However, we have a large inventory in each office for visitors or in case a student forgets. Hang in there with us. Remember: this is temporary. As parents, our child(ren) will follow our attitude and our lead. We’ll get through this.

It would be irresponsible to say anything except “maybe, it’s possible.” We already are witnessing the release of plans from area public schools, many of which are allowing only limited time on campus for students. It is our strong preference and the preference of nearly 90% of the responses in a recent school wide survey. The reboot of in-person school will take extra time and effort by our entire staff, but we believe it is generally the best option for our youth. We can and will outwork other schools. So even in a mandated shut-down, we have plans in place to adjust and adapt quickly for  seamless transitions.

Tuition for remote learning is the same as for in-person learning. Timothy does not realize a savings in a remote learning environment. Moreover, Timothy has spent considerable [non-budgeted] money in preparation for the upcoming school year. Tuition is an annual obligation; the Board of Directors sets the tuition rates yearly and does not offer a per diem rate. This allows the Board to expect what is known as “planned revenue.” Based on the planned revenue, the Board creates an annual budget according to which it pays its operating expenses, such as payroll, utilities, vendor contracts, and more. During the mandatory school closure, the Board continued to pay its employees and continued to honor its other financial obligations. And most importantly, Timothy continued to provide education for all students through distance learning. That is the intent for the 2020-2021 school year as well – if Timothy is forced to transition to remote instruction, it not only will continue to honor its financial obligations but its pedagogical ones, too.

Simply said, tuition will not be reduced. Other Christian schools in our network, locally and nationally, have adopted similar or identical policies. Timothy will continue to provide the same excellence in instruction in a remote setting that it has for 109 years in person. It is important to remember that our strong preference is on campus and in-person learning. In the event of a statewide mandated school campus shut-down, every school will be in the same boat. The woeful failure of remote learning at schools across America was on full display last spring and likely will continue in the fall if remote learning is the only option. Conversely, Timothy will Go Beyond in this arena and provide clear advantages and opportunities to rise above and move ahead. Our pledge to you? The same excellence-driven Timothy you’ve counted on so many times will remain arm-in-arm with you in your home.  Our admissions office has never been busier in July than it is now. The risk of “losing a spot” at Timothy for the future is worthy of consideration. Most importantly, a Christ-centered and Biblically-rooted education never has been more important as it is now, when our youth are immersed in negativity and secular agendas. As academia takes a harsher stand against the truths of the Bible, Timothy will press on with purpose and courageous leadership. There’s nothing more important than having our child(ren) in front of Godly men and women every day upholding Biblical truth, igniting academic growth, and inspiring courageous leadership. Lastly, we are providing record-tuition assistance for the coming school year. Before anyone would leave Timothy, we hope that finances would not be the deciding factor. Let’s keep the team together and intact. On the other side of this, we’ll be stronger than ever.

We are following the guidance of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Illinois High School Association. We are in frequent communication with each of these organizations and remain hopeful that our students can participate in as many activities as possible under the guidelines. Certainly we acknowledge that events and activities will look different than usual in the short term, but we will exercise creativity to offer as many experiences to our students as possible. We also are planning for the middle school and high school to follow similar protocols as one another.

Yes, we believe this is possible. We plan to responsibly offer as many clubs, sports, and activities as allowed.

Yes, that is possible. That’s one of the [many] amazing and unique aspects of our plan. You have likely seen or heard of very rigid plans from other schools. At Timothy, students will be able to easily and fluidly adapt to these transitions. This is yet one more way in which Timothy is a leader in these uncertain times, even though it requires extra work for the school. All we ask is that you reach out to your building principal in advance if you would like to pursue a customized plan. For everyone involved, we appreciate advanced notification.

Similar to above, we would greatly appreciate some lead time to prepare for your child’s return. Please notify your building principal at least three days in advance as you prepare for this change.

We will still offer a differentiated, customized approach at all tiers. The philosophy remains the same. The elements of MTSS in MS and HS will largely continue as normal. For now, in grades K-6, we will be running a modified version of our "tier time.” We will offer targeted small group instruction based on data as always. Groups will still be fluid, flexible, and skill-focused. We will support these groups by providing specialists and instructional aides to classrooms.  Because we will not be mixing students from separate classes, the logistics will need to change: there may be more support pushing into the classroom, and scheduling will be different in some cases. However, families can count on Timothy to continue with our "one student at a time" promise. Yet one more way in which Timothy will stand above the rest during this time.

Please reach out to your building principal to discuss the arrangements that Timothy will have in place so that you are able to effectively and intelligently make this decision for your child. For review, we fully understand that not all families will be comfortable with the plans we have in place--thus the reason for our remote learning platform.

The guidance from the state allows for screening to be conducted at home. We believe this will maximize our instructional time while at school rather than having hundreds of students line up at the door for a temperature check and symptom screening. It's important to stay at home when sick, and screening at home allows parents to check in with their children regarding symptoms and temperature, before arriving on campus with other students. This also limits the number of additional people on campus that would be picking up children with symptoms or fevers at the start of the school day, and minimizes the disruption to a parent's schedule. As a Christian school and based on past experience, we also believe that our community is highly responsible and attentive. Timothy soon will provide an easy screening/reporting step for parents (and staff) to perform at home, which must be done in the morning before school. If a student arrives at school with a missing status, Timothy will issue a screening on campus. However, repeated offenses will result in the student’s ineligibility to be on campus and require a parent to come and pick up their child(ren). This will quickly become a part of our morning routine as we cooperate together.

We can’t ensure people are truthful, but we can continue to advise and implore parents and employees that the best pathway to health and wellness for the whole community is to take the appropriate time each morning before you come to campus to honestly and accurately complete a health screening. We will be reminding parents and employees about the critical importance of this protocol frequently. It is vitally important for public health that employees and students stay home when sick or when they are known to be exposed to someone who is confirmed COVID-19 positive and are within the incubation period set by the CDC. The Timothy community is known for being highly responsible. 

ISBE guidance states that anyone who has been in “close contact” with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or is suspected of having COVID-19 infection should quarantine at home and monitor for symptoms for 14 days. Currently the ISBE/IDPH guidelines define "close contact" as within six feet for more than 15 minutes, with or without a face covering. Please note: we have been told by the health department that additional guidance is coming soon. We will update this FAQ as information is available to us.

For all grades, please contact our full-time school nurse, Erica Plaisier, by phone at 630.782.4087 or by email at plaisier@timothychristian.com. Our nursing staff will work with the family and the DuPage County Health Department to determine the next steps. Additionally, we will communicate with the Timothy community when there are known/confirmed cases of COVID-19 by a student, employee, or visitor who has been on campus. All the while, we will comply with HIPAA and FERPA requirements where applicable. We are also adding a part-time nurse to our team and an office assistant to help with communication and data collection.

The school will notify all close contacts, defined as being within 6 feet of the positive person for more than 15 minutes. Those close contacts will need to quarantine for 14 days. Others will be notified with a low risk letter we will share with you along with other communication tools.

We need to know soon! A survey is coming your way, so please keep an eye out for it. You will have an opportunity to select in-person learning, remote learning, or let us know if you are not returning to Timothy. Within the survey, you will also be required to sign a waiver, which is a common protocol in many schools across America.