Fairfield ISD has changed the first day of school to Wednesday, August 19, 2020, in addition to the school day ending fifteen minutes later this school year.
This is without much change to the schedule that families in the school district have grown accustomed to having.
As of now, the last day of school is Wednesday, May 26, 2020, with graduation planned for Friday, May 28, 2020.
As the school year continues, the COVID-19 pandemic situation will be monitored and calendar adjusted as needed in the best interest for the health and wellbeing of students and staff.
In order to prepare Junior High and High School students for remote learning, if the need arises, Wednesdays will have an early release of 12:10 p.m. in order to finish their school day at home virtually.
April 19, 2021 will be the only Wednesday that students must attend full time, as of now.
Mask
Students in grades 3 through 12 will be required to wear a mask upon arrival and dismissal, in common areas plus when social distancing is not an option.
An exception can be made by the staff due to certain situations such as, physical activity, playing musical instruments, and during meals.
Masks include non-medical grade disposable face masks, cloth face coverings (over the nose and mouth), or full-face shields to protect eyes, nose and mouth.
Hygiene
Hand washing and sanitizing will have a much stronger focus than before, teachers will help students remember to wash their hands or use sanitizer.
Additionally, students will need to wash their hands before eating, after returning from outside, after restroom breaks, and throughout the entire school day.
Sanitizer will be available throughout the entire campus in classrooms, entry points, high use areas, and in the cafeteria.
Meals
Plated meals, no self-service, will be available for the students both at lunch and breakfast, and only students eating breakfast may be inside the cafeteria in the mornings.
Staff in the cafeterias will reinforce social distancing and traffic flow.
Campuses can change the location a meal will be served based on how many students there are, with distancing done as much as possible.
Students may not have food delivered, use the microwave, or have parents join them for lunch.
Library
Libraries will be rearranging furniture and providing visual reminders to help students stay socially distanced.
Hand washing or sanitizing will be required when entering and exiting, as well as frequent sanitation of high touch areas.
Occupancy in the Library will be limited to help keep students properly socially distanced.
Arrival
Campuses will designate entry doors by how students arrive to campus: bus riders, parent drop off, walk to school, student drivers, and students with special needs.
Entry protocols are planned so that students minimize contact with one another, and parents are not allowed to accompany students into the building.
Each entry will have a sanitizing station for the students to use upon entry, and on a secondary level lockers may not be available.
Dismissal
Times students are dismissed may be staggered to limit the number of students in the hallways and waiting areas at one time.
If a child is being picked up at any other time than dismissal, the parent must call before 3:00 p.m. so that the students may be sent or accompanied to the vehicle.
Miscellaneous
Contact greetings, such as handshakes, should not be used, but instead a verbal greeting will be adequate.
Student assemblies must meet Fairfield ISD, TEA and UIL regulations. This includes pep rallies, although having one outside could be a possibility.
Sixth through twelfth grade students will be able to access their Career & Technical Education, Dual Credit, and Advanced Placement coursework through the Virtual Learning platform.
Although some of the courses can require a student to go on-campus throughout the semester.
Vaccines requirements have not changed. Even if a child is attending virtual classes they must have their vaccinations current.
Any child who chooses virtual learning will not be eligible to participate in UIL events.
Streaming online will be used for a wide variety of events to help with social distancing and the lowered capacity allowance.
This is not a complete list of all the changes students will experience on campus. For full details, email the principal at your student’s campus.
–Elementary – Sheila.Ransom@fairfieldisd.org
–Intermediate – Shetonia.Scires@fairfieldisd.org
–Junior High – Daniel.Johnson@fairfieldisd.org
–High School – Sonya.Gibson@fairfieldisd.org