Texas Education Agency (TEA) has announced their current plan going forward for the 2020-2021 school year in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While students are required to attend 90% of the days, a course is offered, this year will have the option for student attendance through virtual instruction.
The School District’s plan must be made available to parents, students and faculty at least one week before the school year begins.
One of the many options Schools will have is to limit on-campus access the first three weeks of the year, and allow virtual instruction to help students transition easier.
Although, if a family does not have internet access and/or devices available for distance learning at home, on-campus education must be provided.
Covid-19 Screening
In order to be allowed to enter any school’s campus, COVID-19 screening (or self-screening) must be completed.
Symptoms include: fever over 100.4 F, loss of taste or smell, cough, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, headache, chills, sore throat, shaking and/or exaggerated shivering, significant muscle pain and/or ache, and diarrhea.
If you have a symptom on a regular basis, it does not count.
Teachers and staff should take their own temperature, and check for other symptoms. Similarly, parents must ensure that they do not send a student to school on campus if they have symptoms.
Visitors to the campus must be screened for symptoms as well.
Anyone, student, staff, visitor, parent, or faculty that displays COVID-19 symptoms, are lab-confirmed, or have been exposed, must remain off campus until the criteria for re-entry is met.
To return to the school district, individuals must:
–wait until three days (seventy-two hours) have passed with no fever without the use of fever reducing medication
–shown an improvement of symptoms
–stayed home for at least ten days since the symptoms first appeared
Even if a person has not been tested or has not received medical evaluation must still meet the three-step criteria to return.
If they want to return before the ten days are completed, they must either receive a medical professional’s note clearing them for return, or receive two separate negative COVID-19 test via acute infection testing at an approved COVID-19 testing location.
A list of testing locations can be found online at tdem.texas.gov/covid-19/
Response to Covid-19 Exposure on Campus
Any student who displays COVID-19 symptoms must be immediately separated until a parent and/or guardian can pick them up.
Schools should clean the area used by the individual who showed COVID-19 symptoms as soon as possible.
If a student is feeling feverish, they will be given a temperature check to determine is they are symptomatic for COVID-19.
The local health department must be notified if anyone in the school is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19.
All areas the individual heavily used are required to be closed off until the non-porous surfaces are disinfected or more than 3 days (72 hours) has passed since that person was on campus.
All teachers, staff and parents are to receive notice if there is an individual in the school that test positive.
Slowing the Spread Inside School
Schools should attempt to have hand washing stations and/or sanitizer at each entrance, and in each classroom.
Students, teachers, staff, and campus visitors are encouraged to frequently wash/sanitize their hands.
Schools are encouraged to have students engage in supervised hand washing for at least 20 seconds at least twice a day.
In addition, students should be encouraged to wash hands after using the restroom and before eating.
Everyone should cover the coughs and sneezes with a tissue, or elbow if necessary, and dispose of tissue properly. Follow by washing hands properly or using sanitizer.
Schools must comply with the Governor’s executive orders, and this includes the wearing of mask.
TEA has defined mask as, “non-medical grade disposable face masks, cloth face coverings (over the nose and mouth), or full-face shields to protect eyes, nose and mouth.”
Schools systems may require the use of mask for adults and/or students in additions to the executive order.
In extracurricular activities where it is not practical for students to wear mask, anyone entering or exiting the facility will be required to wear mask. This includes students when not actively participating in the activity.
Desk should be placed six feet apart when space allows, and if it does not allow, students need more frequent hand washing and/or sanitizing, plus the addition of adding airflow to the space.
It is preferable for students to gather outside for class, as opposed to inside when weather permits.
Campuses are expected to plan for entry, exit and transition procedures to reduce large group gatherings in close proximity.
Eliminating activities is something to be considered if it brings a large number of students, teachers, and/or staff together.
Dividers should be considered between bathroom sinks, especially if not six feet apart.
Another area schools are expected to discuss is lunchtime. Ideas of dividers between seats and eating lunch at a desk were mentioned.
Hand Sanitizer should be used upon boarding the bus, although it is preferable to have family members drop off students.
Buses should be fully cleaned after each bus trip, focusing on high-touch surfaces, and when possible, open windows to allow outside air to circulate in.
These are the current plans, but depending on the situation can be changed to best suit the student’s needs.
School Districts must release their plans a week before school starts.
Freestone County School’s are in the process of making their plans or have already made plans.
Dew ISD has already made their plans, and they will be available online by the end of this week.
Fairfield ISD held a School Board meeting Monday, July 13, 2020 with a discussion over the necessary COVID-19 plans being on the agenda.
As of press time, Teague ISD and Wortham ISD were still currently working on their plans, and intend to share them once completed.
The “Times” will continue to update as plans are developed and/or changes.
