Health, Wellness, & Covid-19

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.

Timothy will report every positive case immediately to the DuPage County Health Department. The health department will provide guidance to Timothy if/when we need to go fully remote and will also provide guidance on the duration. We also are tracking absenteeism and illnesses and can use this information to make decisions regarding specific classes/buildings, as needed.

Your face covering should:

• Fit over your nose and mouth and be secured under your chin
• Fit snugly against the sides of your face
• Allow you to breathe easily

Disposable or reusable masks are acceptable and preferred over neck "gaiters". If "gaiters" need to be worn, they must fit snugly around the nose and mouth and have at least two-ply fabric/cloth. A face shield can be worn in addition to a face mask, but not in place of one.

The CDC provides helpful information on wearing a mask

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.

We have made every attempt across campus to physically distance students "as much as possible", which is the recommendation of the CDC, IDPH, and ISBE. While this has been achieved in many cases, there are situations and classrooms that do not allow us to keep every student 6’ apart. Even so, we are limiting the exposure, spread, and contact tracing for every student as much as possible using our seating chart buddy system and plastic/plexi physical barriers between them. Here is what the CDC states regarding 6’ of separation in schools:

When maintaining 6 feet of distance is not feasible, try keeping as close to 6 feet apart as possible...In situations where maintaining physical distance is difficult, it is especially important to wear cloth face coverings. In areas where it is difficult for individuals to remain at least 6 feet apart..., schools can consider additional strategies such as installing physical barriers, such as sneeze guards and partitions. Schools can also consider using outdoor space, weather-permitting, to enable social distancing.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Students will not be able to drink from the drinking fountains, however, the automatic water bottle filling stations will be working. Students should bring a labeled water bottle to school. There will be no sharing of water bottles.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 learn more about COVID-19 every day, and as more information becomes available, CDC will continue to update and share information. As our knowledge and understanding of COVID-19 evolves, this guidance may change. However, based on the best available evidence at this time:

• CDC does not currently recommend universal symptom screenings (screening all students grades K-12) be conducted by schools.
• Parents or caregivers should be strongly encouraged to monitor their children for signs of infectious illness every day.
• Students who are sick should not attend school in-person.
• Link: Screening K-12 Students for Symptoms of COVID-19: Limitations and Considerations

Parents will take the temperature of each student and ask about specific symptoms and recent exposure. There is no symptom or set of symptoms that only occur in children diagnosed with COVID-19. Symptoms we will be assessing include:

• Fever
• Sore throat
• New uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing (for students with chronic allergic/ asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline)
• Diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain 
• Recent loss of taste or smell
• New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever 

Questions also will be asked about recent exposure to a confirmed case and travel. A Google form will be used to enter this information and submit it to school. The form will provide guidance on how to proceed if your student has symptoms or recent exposure. Staff members must also complete a self-certification screening before arriving to school.

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. 

The Timothy health team has undergone contact tracing training. The school will notify all close contacts, defined as being within 6 feet of the positive person for more than 15 minutes.  The close contacts will need to quarantine for 14 days and follow CDC's quarantine guidelines.  In collaboration with the DuPage County Health Department, others will be notified with a low risk letter, along with other communication tools.

In short, no. Here is what the CDC has to say:
Universal SARS-CoV-2 testing of all students and staff in school settings has not been systematically studied. It is not known if testing in school settings provides any additional reduction in person-to-person transmission of the virus beyond what would be expected with implementation of other infection preventive measures (e.g., social distancing, cloth face covering, hand washing, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting). Therefore, CDC does not recommend universal testing of all students and staff. Implementation of a universal approach to testing in schools may pose challenges, such as the lack of infrastructure to support routine testing and follow up in the school setting, unknown acceptability of this testing approach among students, parents, and staff, lack of dedicated resources, practical considerations related to testing minors and potential disruption in the educational environment.

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, and will follow cleaning and disinfecting procedures. Additionally, we will communicate with the Timothy community when there are 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 have added a part-time nurse and an office assistant to our health team to help with communication and data collection.

The student/staff member must not attend school and must self-isolate at home (Self-isolation means staying at home in a specific room away from other people and pets, and using a separate bathroom, if possible.)

Isolation may be discontinued under the following conditions:

• At least 10 days have passed since symptom onset

• At least 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications

• Other symptoms have improved

• For Asymptomatic individuals who test positive for COVID-19, the CDC now advises that such individuals may discontinue their isolation and other precautions 10 days after their first positive COVID-19 test. If an asymptomatic individual becomes symptomatic, he or she is advised to follow the guidelines above for individuals with symptoms.

Upon return to school, the student/staff must undergo a symptom screen with the nurse.

If there is a positive case, everyone in the building and on the bus route that is not a close contact of the positive case will be sent a letter from the DuPage County Health Department via Timothy. You can view a sample of the letter here.

The health team will reach out separately by phone and email to close contacts of the positive case based on seating charts from classrooms and the bus to review and discuss self-quarantine. Those close contacts must self-quarantine at home for 14 days, monitor for symptoms and call their health care provider.

If the student was in close contact with a positive case, the student must not attend school, and must be quarantined for 14 days from the last/most recent contact with the person. The parent/guardian should contact their physician for guidance on testing and monitor the student for symptoms. The student must not return to school until CDC criteria have been met.

No. Students and staff awaiting test results must self-quarantine at home and are not allowed at school, even if asymptomatic.

At this time, there is not a state-mandated or county-mandated quarantine when traveling to other states. For international travel, there are CDC foreign country travel restrictions and recommendations. Families or staff must notify Timothy of any international travel. When considering any type of travel, please review this CDC travel information.

• You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes

• You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19

• You had direct physical contact with the person (touched, hugged, or kissed them)

• You shared eating or drinking utensils

• They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you

Yes. Close contacts will be determined, notified by phone that they must self-quarantine for 14 days and be provided quarantine guidelines and instructions by email.
Other members of the class will be notified by email that there is a positive case in the class. Families may choose to voluntarily self-quarantine their students for 14 days.
All students and staff in the building (not identified as close contacts) will be notified by email with a letter from the DuPage County Health Department that there is a positive case in the building and the exposure risk is considered low.

If you receive test results after school, please call 630.782.4083 or email covid@timothychristian.com by 7 pm. A member of the health team will follow up the same day with your family to discuss isolation protocols and to initiate contact tracing, while keeping confidentiality. Messages left after 7 pm will not be checked until the following day.

Timothy will immediately report the positive case to the DuPage County Health Department.

As a reminder, any student with a positive test result MUST not attend school until CDC isolation criteria have been met. Likewise, if a student was in close contact with a positive case, he/she must stay home until CDC quarantine criteria have been met.

*This phone number and email address will be monitored starting 8/19. To report a positive case or recent close contact before 8/19, please contact plaisier@timothychristian.com.

There is some overlap between common seasonal allergy symptoms and some of the symptoms that have been reported by people with COVID-19 such as headache, sneezing or cough. It is important to take into account whether an individual’s symptoms are compatible with their usual symptoms and timing for allergy in that person.

A: Please visit DuPage County Coronavirus Response for up-to-date information regarding positive cases and testing locations.