School Nurse

• Welcoming a new School Nurse to our staff
• Educating our community on health & safety protocols and home screenings
• Maintaining a relatively low student-to-teacher ratio in all classes
• Following our university-model schedule that minimizes exposure by reduced time on campus (2 days/week for GS and 3 days/week for SL)
• Developing and operating a distance learning option
• Thoroughly training all faculty and staff on safety protocols
• Providing teachers with the necessary PPE
• Implementing physical distancing and face covering protocols
• Increasing and utilizing outdoor classrooms
• Installing outdoor sinks and handwashing stations throughout campus, particularly in the GS Upper Village, while also increasing the number of hand sanitizer stations
• Continuing to prioritize the cleaning and disinfecting of campus
• And much more...

It is the family’s responsibility to screen children before each school day and to keep symptomatic children at home. Veritas will not be checking temperatures of students as they enter the building, but will be following the Texas Education Agency (TEA)'s recommendation and counting on our families to self-screen at home every morning.

Symptoms to Screen for Include

Stay Home if Symptomatic

If your child is showing any of these new or worsening symptoms, you should keep him/her home from school, submit the Absence Notification Form, and contact your family doctor for further guidance. The school nurse will also reach out to check on your student and determine when he/she is cleared to return to campus.

Absence Notification Form

Returning to School

When a student is absent from school due to any illness, parents will be contacted by the school nurse. The nurse will follow this chart to determine when a student is cleared to return to campus.

It is the personal responsibility of each faculty and staff member to screen him/herself before each school day and to stay home if symptomatic. 

Symptoms to Screen for Include

Stay Home if Symptomatic

If you are showing any of these new or worsening symptoms, you should stay home from school, and follow the illness notification guidelines as outlined in the Employee Handbook while also emailing the school nurse. 

Email School Nurse

Returning to School

When absent from school due to any illness, faculty and staff will be contacted by the school nurse. The nurse will follow this chart to determine when you are cleared to return to campus.

All parents and visitors should screen themselves before coming to campus and stay home if symptomatic. Additionally, as outlined by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), all parents and visitors will undergo a verbal screening questionnaire, to include a temperature screening, during their check-in process at the GS Office or 2nd Floor Academic Building Receptionist Desk. 

Symptoms to Screen for Include

Stay Home if Symptomatic

If you are showing any of these new or worsening symptoms, you should stay home and not come to campus.

Student Notification

If a student is ill or showing any new or worsening symptoms of COVID-19, you should keep him/her home from school, submit the Absence Notification Form, and contact your family doctor for further guidance. The school nurse will also reach out to check on your student and determine when he/she is cleared to return to campus.

Absence Notification Form

Employee Notification

If an employee is ill or showing any new or worsening symptoms, you should stay home from school, follow the illness notification guidelines as outlined in the Employee Handbook, and email the school nurse. The school nurse will reach out to check on you and determine when you are cleared to return to campus.

Email School Nurse

If a student or faculty member is experiencing COVID-like symptoms, they should stay home and seek guidance from their medical professional to determine if they should be tested for COVID-19. If they receive a positive test result, they need to:

• Notify the school nurse immediately
• The nurse will notify the Head of School and the appropriate School Head (GS, SL, SR)
• The nurse will conduct contract tracing based on GS cohorts, SLR seating charts, lunch groups, etc.
• The school will notify those who have been in close contact with the lab-confirmed individual

Email School Nurse

Anyone with a temperature greater than or equal to 100° and/or showing symptoms of COVID-19 will be treated as a possible positive case.

• Symptomatic students will be required to apply a face covering, report to the 2nd Floor Nurses Station, and the parent will be notified for pick-up within 30 minutes of notification.

• The ill student will remain isolated in the 2nd floor Nurses Station Room with a designated staff member to be monitored and receive medical care if needed until parent/guardian arrives for student pick-up.

• Monitoring staff member must perform hand hygiene and wear PPE for the duration of the isolation period.

• After students and staff are removed from the isolation area, it will be sanitized by using approved germicidal agents by custodial staff wearing appropriate PPE.

• Parent/guardian will be provided with instructions regarding criteria for readmission to in-school activities.

• A tracking system will be utilized to ensure students who are sent home ill do not return sooner than allowed by current guidelines unless they have obtained a medical professional's note clearing you for return based on an alternative diagnosis. 

• Veritas will close off areas that have been heavily used by the individual with the lab-confirmed case (student, teacher, or staff) until the non-porous surfaces in those areas can be disinfected, unless more than 7 days have already passed since that person was on campus.

• If the student (or faculty member) tests positive for COVID-19, they need to notify the school nurse immediately. The nurse will:

  • Notify the Head of School and the appropriate School Head (GS, SL, SR)

  • ​​​​​​​The school will notify those who have been in close contact with the lab-confirmed individual

The school nurse will help track sick and symptomatic individuals to ensure recovery and clearance before returning to school. However, she will not be diagnosing any illnesses or conducting any testing. Please contact your doctor for these needs and visit the Texas Division of Emergency Management for an approved list of testing locations.

COVID-19 Testing Locations

Upon receiving a positive COVID-19 test, any student or employee needs to:

• Notify the school nurse immediately
• The nurse will notify the Head of School and the appropriate School Head (GS, SL, SR)
• The nurse will conduct contract tracing based on GS cohorts, SLR seating charts, lunch groups, etc.
• The school will notify those who have been in close contact with the lab-confirmed individual

Email School Nurse

The definition of close contact is evolving with our understanding of COVID-19, and individual scenarios should be determined by an appropriate public health agency. In general, close contact is defined as:

1. being directly exposed to infectious secretions (e.g., being coughed on); or
2. being within 6 feet for a cumulative duration of 15 minutes; however, additional factors like case/contact masking (i.e., both the infectious individual and the potential close contact have been consistently and properly masked), ventilation, presence of dividers, and case symptomatology may affect this determination.

Either (1) or (2) defines close contact if it occurred during the infectious period of the case, defined as two days prior to symptom onset to 10 days after symptom onset. In the case of asymptomatic individuals who are lab-confirmed with COVID-19, the infectious period is defined as two days prior to the confirming lab test and continuing for 10 days following the confirmation lab test. 

Families and staff must stay home and report to the school nurse if they have had close contact with an individual who is lab-confirmed with COVID-19, as defined above. The school nurse will reach out to determine when the individual is cleared to return to campus.

Email School Nurse      Absence Notification Form

The nurse will follow this chart to determine when a student or employee is cleared to return to campus.