COVID-19 Information

List of 15 frequently asked questions.

• What is the mask policy?

  Recently, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health announced that K-12 schools will be able to eliminate the indoor mask mandate beginning on March 12 (and not before) and become "mask optional." As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will align with the guidelines and protocols of the DPH and allow our students and faculty to decide whether or not they will wear a mask indoors or outdoors, although the County, State, and dTHS still highly recommend indoor masking for students and faculty. 
  
  Anyone who chooses to continue wearing a mask while on campus (indoors or outdoors) is encouraged to do so. In addition, there may be teachers that, for personal or familial health reasons, will require their students to wear a mask in their classroom. To that end, please ensure that your student brings a mask to school every day. 

• What is our COVID testing policy?

  We perform surveillance PCR testing on all faculty and students every Monday (or Tuesday if someone does not test on Monday). If there is no school on a Monday, we will test the school community on Tuesday (with Wednesday as the makeup day). Following someone’s return from a positive COVID infection, after a baseline negative antigen test, faculty and students are exempt from COVID testing for 90 days after testing COVID positive.

• What if they miss the regular surveillance testing?

  The student/family needs to arrange for the student to take an antigen test in front of the school before they enter campus. Please contact the office 24 hours in advance to set this up so an appropriate staff member can administer the test.

• What if my student does not feel well?

  Since the symptoms could be COVID or the flu/common cold, please keep your student at home until they can be tested either with a PCR or an antigen test. If it is not COVID, they can return to school when they are fever-free for at least 24 hours (without medication) and feel well enough. If it is COVID, see the protocols below. If your student presents at school with symptoms, we will administer an antigen test here and send them home if it is positive for COVID.

• If my student tests positive, what will happen?

  Regardless of their vaccination status, your student will have to:

  • Stay home (isolate) for at least 5 days.
    • Isolation can end after Day 5 (return to school on Day 6) if symptoms are not present or are resolving, they have been fever-free for 24 hours without medications, and an antigen test collected on Day 5 or later is negative.
    • If unable to test or you choose not to test, and symptoms are not present or are resolving, and you are fever-free for 24 hours, isolation can end after Day 10 (return to school on Day 11).
    • If fever is present, isolation should be continued until the fever resolves and you are fever-free without medication for at least 24 hours.
    • Continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings.
  • Our school nurse (or other staff members) will contact you to review the protocols, timeline for isolation, follow-up testing, and return to school.
  • Following recovery, the student or faculty is exempt from COVID testing for 90 days.

• What is the school policy on boosters?

  • While we still HIGHLY encourage and recommend all students receive the booster, we will not require the booster until such time as it receives full authorization, the State of California mandates students receive the booster, or we receive the firm recommendation from our COVID experts that the booster should be required. We will also continue to follow the guidance, guidelines, and protocols of the County and State. 
  • If your student is eligible for the booster but has not received it by February 1, 2022, and your student is a close contact they will need to monitor for symptoms and continue to wear upgraded masks. They DO NOT need to quarantine.
  • To avoid quarantine as the result of being a close contact, please get your booster now and provide us with supporting documentation at forms@dths.org for students or kpalmer@dths.org for faculty.
  • Students traveling internationally (i.e. to Israel and Hungary) will be required to have the booster (if the student is eligible) to participate in these school trips. This is both because of international regulations and our agreement with our host schools.

• When can my student get the booster?

  • You are eligible for a booster dose:
    • 2 months after your J&J COVID-19 vaccine
    • 5 months after your last dose of your Pfizer or your Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
  • Our medical advisors has advised us that there is no medical reason to wait 90 days following COVID to receive the booster unless you were hospitalized and treated with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma.

• What will happen if my student is a close contact?

  • If my student is fully vaccinated and boosted or unboosted

    • These students need to monitor for symptoms and continue to wear upgraded masks. If they develop symptoms, test immediately.
    • It is recommended that close contacts test (either PCR or antigen) the day after exposure (Day 1), especially if your student or anyone who lives with your student is at increased risk for severe illness, and, if negative, again on Day 5. (If you recently recovered from COVID-19 testing is not recommended unless you develop symptoms.) 
    • This can either be done privately (with an officially generated laboratory report) or on the school’s normal PCR testing day.
  • If a student has claimed a vaccine exemption
    • Quarantine and monitor for symptoms. As long as symptoms for COVID0-19 is not present, they may end quarantine either
      • After 5 full days have passed from their last known contact, they can return to school on Day 6 if they have a negative antigen test collected on Day 5 from the date of last exposure to the case.
      • After 10 full days have passed from their last known contact to the infectious case, they can return to school on Day 11 without an antigen test provided they are no symptoms present or the symptoms are resolving, and they are fever-free for 24 hours without medication.

• What if someone else in my household tests positive but my student has not?

  This would be handled the same way as if they were a close contact in a classroom.

• What about upcoming school trips such as SIEP and the 11th-grade trip?

  • These trips are an important part of the school and grade-level programs, but we will always prioritize the health of our students and faculty. With the current situation, we have made the difficult decision to postpone these trips as well as our production of Chicago to a time when the situation is less acute. We will continue to actively monitor the situation both locally and where the trips happen.
  • Students will be required to be fully vaccinated and boosted to attend these trips (to avoid the potential of a 5-day quarantine if they are identified as a “close contact.”)
  • Protocols may be different during the trips based on the local regulations and protocols.

• What are the protocols if my student travels on a non-school trip?

  We follow the CDC guidelines on domestic and international travel that can be found here.

• Will the school close down?

  We have no plans or intention of shutting down. This would only change if:

  • the State and/or County require us to or,
  • if we can not staff our classrooms due to isolated/quarantined faculty

• What are the protocols for volunteers on campus, such as the JagShack staff?

  Similar to faculty and students, on-campus volunteers must wear the same masks as faculty (see above) and must test weekly. Volunteers may come for PCR testing on campus Mondays or Tuesdays or can take their own antigen test if they can not test on campus. If volunteers have recovered from COVID (same protocols and timelines as faculty and students), they are exempt from testing for 90 days.

• Are faculty and students held to the same standards?

  All faculty (including our maintenance and security teams) and students are equally covered under the protocols and guidelines listed in this document.

• What kinds of support can students receive to address anxiety?

  Given the level of attention that COVID-19 has attracted, students may understandably become anxious and have concerns about the virus and its transmission. Please remember that our deans and counselors are available to meet with students to address questions and concerns. 
  
  Support resources:
  

  • “How to Talk To Your Anxious Child About the Coronavirus” from Psychology Today
  • “How to Talk to Your Kids About the Coronavirus Outbreak” from TIME
  • “Talking to Kids about the Coronavirus” from Child Mind Institute