Covid-19 Response Plan

If your student struggles with a condition that may cause symptoms similar to COVID-19, please reach out to your student’s healthcare provider for written documentation stating the underlying condition and symptoms your student experiences. Please turn this documentation into HCS Health Services. Physical assessment and the student’s health history both play a part in how the student is managed and triaged during the school day.

For ANY illness (COVID-19-related or not), guidelines set by the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) for when a student may return to school after illness must be followed. Briefly these include:

• Ill students exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms must remain isolated and out of school for at least 10 days unless the student has been evaluated by their healthcare provider, and the provider determines the student has an alternate diagnosis other than COVID-19. With a diagnosis other than COVID-19, students may return to school if:
  • The student has a note from their provider stating the student has an alternate diagnosis and the provider believes it is appropriate for the student to return to school, and…
  • The student has been fever free for 24 hours without the assistance of fever reducing medication, and…
  • The student’s symptoms have resolved
• Ill students exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms without an alternate diagnosis from their healthcare provider will be isolated and out of school for at least 10 days from the first day the symptoms appeared. Prior to returning to school after isolation, students must be fever free for 24 hours without the assistance of fever reducing medication and have resolution of symptoms before returning to school.
• Ill students who test positive for COVID-19 must be isolated for at least 10 days from the first day the symptoms appeared. Prior to returning to school after isolation, students must be fever free for 24 hours without the assistance of fever reducing medication and have resolution of symptoms before returning to school.

Please do NOT send your child to school before the minimum time period has passed for your student’s illness/circumstances and additional criteria has been met. If a student returns to school or any school related event before this predetermined time period and/or is exhibiting symptoms, the student’s parent/guardian will be called immediately to come pick-up the student.

Students without symptoms yet testing positive for COVID-19 must remain out of school for 10 days from the date the test was taken.


If the student develops symptoms, then the time period starts over and isolation starts on the day symptoms started. In this case, please refer to the guidance outlined in the above question “When can my student return to school if they are ill?” and the guidance linked from the Indiana State Department of Health.

Anyone who has been in close contact with an individual with COVID-19 needs to quarantine. A “close contact” is identified as any individual within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes.



If any individual in a student’s household tests positive for COVID-19 (parents, siblings, etc.), students in the household must also stay home for a minimum of 14 days. This could be longer if the student becomes symptomatic. Quarantine for the full 14 days is REQUIRED even if your student is without symptoms and even if test results are negative. Please do NOT send your student to school until this time period has passed.

Yes. The Indiana State Department of Health recommends individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19 wait until day 5 or after of their quarantine to be tested.

If your student is identified as a “close contact” and needs to quarantine due to exposure to COVID-19 in your household, at school, or in the community, he/she MUST complete a 14-day quarantine. This is due to the fact that illness may occur anywhere between 2-14 days after exposure to COVID-19. This time period could be longer if your student begins to exhibit symptoms/becomes ill.



Quarantine for the full 14 days is REQUIRED even if your student is without symptoms and even if test results are negative. Please do NOT send your student to school until this time period has passed.



Day 1 of quarantine starts on the day after exposure to COVID-19. If a student returns to school or any school related event before the quarantine time period has been completed, the student’s parent/guardian will be called immediately to come pick-up the student.

Please notify your student’s healthcare provider and have your student tested for COVID-19.



If your student becomes symptomatic/ill during their quarantine period, his/her timeline for returning to school may be extended. In this case, please refer to the guidance outlined in the above question “When can my student return to school if they are ill?” and the guidance linked from the Indiana State Department of Health.

Parents should report any positive COVID-19 test result their student or a household member has received. You may report this by calling the office at (317) 823-4538.

In the event that a student, faculty/staff member, or visitor who has tested positive for COVID-19 was on campus, HCS will contact the MCHD immediately. Contact tracing will be initiated and direction from health officials will be followed. Parents of impacted students and impacted faculty/staff will be notified. The identity of the individual who tested positive will not be identified in school communications.

The Indiana State Department of Health has numerous COVID-19 testing sites in the greater Indianapolis area. You may refer to this interactive map to find a testing site near you. Please assure the testing site you choose will test children.

We also encourage you to call your student’s and your own healthcare provider to inquire about COVID-19 testing and additional care/follow-up that may be needed.