Dear Parents, Faculty and Staff,

I hope everyone had a beautiful yom tov season. It was certainly a delight to celebrate Sukkot in school with our students with fun trips and wonderful programs. I am sure you are all excited to finally have a full week of school. 

Based on some recent questions we have received, I think it is best to provide clarification on certain policies related Covid-like symptoms.

1. Keep handy the 2021/22 symptoms checklist which will give you guidance.
2. Will CTA accept a home administered Covid test? 

Yes. However, CTA will only accept the BinaxNow test. For your convenience, CTA was able to procure a large quantity of BinaxNow tests that we can give to families for free. When needed, during the school day the BinaxNow test will be available for pick up at the school. After hours or on non-school days, you will have the convenience to pick up at two locations. Text or call for availability.

  • Garvin Home, 2775 Fair Avenue in Bexley (614-282-2295)
  • Hollander Home, 1378 Haddon Road in Berwick (614-527-3324)

3. Are siblings of a student who needs a Covid test permitted to remain in school while waiting for the results of the test? Answers are dependent on different factors.

  • If a parent selects to use the BinaxNow test, they can administer it to their child immediately while at CTA in an outdoor location or in your car. CTA will NOT administer the test. While waiting for results, which is a short turnaround time, siblings can remain in school. 
  • If a parent chooses to administer the BinaxNow at home or go to a health care provider then all unvaccinated siblings will need to go home until test results are received. 
  • Vaccinated siblings who are asymptomatic are permitted to remain in school.

4. Who from the school should a family contact if they: 1)have a question related to symptoms, 2) are unsure if their child/ren should attend school, or 3) have a positive case?  

All questions should be emailed to our school nurse Michelle Stevenson at mstevenson@torahacademy.org. Please put in the subject of the email "Covid question". Nurse Michelle will respond to you as quickly as she can. Evening response time will be slower.

5. Who do I need to communicate to if my child takes a Covid test?

  • If your child takes a test at a local testing center, the results should be emailed to Nurse Michelle.
  • If your child takes a BinaxNow test at home, a picture of the results should be screenshot and emailed to Nurse Michelle.

Lastly, as was stated in the August email prior to the start of the school year, we will be using the month of October to reconvene and evaluate our current mask protocols. We will continue to have ongoing discussions that are not limited to the immediate future but include conversations about what are the necessary indicators to move towards a completely normal experience at CTA.

Thank you for your partnership in the education of your children.