Families may choose the MCISD On-Campus model of learning for their child if they wish for their child to attend school five days a week in person at their zoned campus.*

The American Academy of Pediatrics “strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.” In listening to feedback from our families, we know there are many families in MCISD who are very much looking forward to their children physically returning to school on-campus when school resumes on August 13, 2020. We also know that there are families who have concerns about their children physically returning to school due to preexisting health conditions or other reasons, which is why online learning that is facilitated by a certified, MCISD teacher is an important option and will be available. MCISD will support all families in whatever decision is best for their children.

Community health data continues to change in our MCISD community, and we are continuously monitoring this information and adjusting our plans accordingly. We are sharing these preliminary plans with the understanding that as we get closer to August 13, 2020, plans could change based on conditions. We are committed to keeping all MCISD families updated and informed of any potential changes to our reopening plans.

*If COVID-19-related issues arise throughout the year, physical campuses may be closed for intermittent periods of time. If a campus is closed to in-person instruction, students at the impacted school will transition to MCISD Online Learning.

What will MCISD On-Campus look like?

  • In-person teaching and learning are available for students on campuses following a student’s traditional schedule.

  • Students will follow their daily schedule, including all courses selected and/or assigned, as well as extracurricular activities, if applicable.

  • Students who require support and interventions will receive them in person.

  • Grading guidelines will be similar for MCISD On-campus and MCISD Online.

  • Students will be required to adhere to ever-evolving MCISD health and safety expectations established for the safety of students and staff within our schools.

  • TEA Guidelines: Students will wear face coverings on buses, hallways, common areas, and when social distancing is not feasible, including in classrooms, to the extent it is developmentally appropriate. This applies to both school (indoor and outdoor) and bus settings.

  • Students who receive services or accommodations through special education, gifted and talented, 504, or multilingual services will continue to receive the support and services.

Community health data continues to change in our MCISD community, and we are continuously monitoring this information and adjusting our plans accordingly. We are sharing these preliminary plans with the understanding that as we get closer to August 13, 2020, plans could change based on conditions.

Health & Safety Expectations for Students and Employees

Evolving Student Health Protocols

The district is following TEA public health guidance for schools.

  • All families (returning students or students newly enrolled) affirm, prior to the start of the school year, that they will adhere to all health and safety expectations developed by MCISD.

  • All students who accept on-campus instruction affirm that COVID-19 screenings will occur at home daily and that they will abide by COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Reminders will be posted.

  • Families will NOT send students to school if they have a lab-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis or any of the following COVID-19 symptoms: feeling feverish or fever 100.4 or greater, loss of taste or smell, cough, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, headache, chills, sore throat, shaking or exaggerated shivering, significant muscle pain or ache, diarrhea. Families must immediately notify the school if a child has COVID-19 symptoms (described above) or if the student has tested positive for COVID-19.

  • Families must also immediately notify the school if a child has had close contact with a symptomatic individual or an individual who is lab-confirmed with COVID-19, and the student should not report to campus. After review by the school nurse, the student may be required to remain off-campus for up to a 14-day incubation period. Students will receive remote instruction for the quarantine period.

  • TEA Guidelines: Students will wear face coverings on buses, hallways, common areas, and when social distancing is not feasible, including in classrooms, to the extent it is developmentally appropriate. This applies to both school (indoor and outdoor) and bus settings.

  • Students will follow campus-specific guidelines to support social distancing to the fullest extent possible.

  • Reminder posters outlining proper protocols will be prominently displayed for all employees and students to follow.

Evolving Employee Safety Protocols

The district is following TEA Guidelines.

  • Employees will self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before coming onto a MCISD campus/facility each day. The self-screening should include teachers and staff taking their own temperature. Employees must immediately report to their supervisor if the employee has COVID-19 symptoms (described below) or if the employee has tested positive for COVID-19.

  • Employees will NOT report to a MCISD facility or campus if they have any of the following COVID-19 symptoms (in a way that is not normal for the employee): feeling feverish or fever 100.4 or greater, loss of taste or smell, cough, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, headache, chills, sore throat, shaking or exaggerated shivering, significant muscle pain or ache, diarrhea.

  • Employees must report to their supervisors if they have had close contact (as defined by TEA’s public health guidance) with a symptomatic individual or an individual who is lab-confirmed with COVID-19. After review by MCISD Health Services, the employee may be required to remain off-campus for up to a 14-day incubation period.

  • All employees shall know and follow the established protocols to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 to stay safe to stay open.

  • Employees will practice approved environment cleaning/disinfection, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette.

  • TEA Guidelines: All employees will wear face coverings on buses, hallways, common areas, and when social distancing is not feasible, including in classrooms. This applies to both school (indoor and outdoor) and bus settings. Employees will have access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that includes hand sanitizer, face coverings, and gloves.

  • Reminder posters outlining proper protocols will be prominently displayed for all employees and students to follow.

Individuals Confirmed or Suspected with COVID -19 (Students and/or Employees):

  • Per TEA Guidelines, any individuals who themselves either: (a) are lab-confirmed to have COVID-19; or (b) experience the symptoms of COVID-19 (listed above) must stay at home throughout the infection period, and cannot return to campus until the school system screens the individual to determine any of the below conditions for campus re-entry have been met:

    • In the case of an individual who was diagnosed with COVID-19, the individual may return to school when all three of the following criteria are met:

      • at least one day (24 hours) have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications);

      • the individual has improvement in symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and

      • at least ten days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

    • In the case of an individual who has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and who is not evaluated by a medical professional or tested for COVID-19, such individual is assumed to have COVID-19, and the individual may not return to the campus until the individual has completed the same three-step set of criteria listed above.

    • If the individual has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and wants to return to school before completing the above stay at home period, the individual must either (a) obtain a medical professional’s note clearing the individual for return based on an alternative diagnosis or (b) obtain an acute infection test at an approved testing location (https://tdem.texas.gov/covid-19/) that comes back negative for COVID-19.

Campus Procedures

  • MCISD will continue to educate our students, staff, and community members about the importance of frequent hand washing; covering a cough or sneeze; not touching one’s eyes, nose, and mouth; staying home when sick, and other measures to help prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

  • Campus administration will provide procedures to best protect employee and student safety in regards to student movement, personal space, physical distancing in community areas, organization of resources, and classroom supplies.

  • Campuses will develop guidelines to minimize large gatherings, including, where appropriate, establishing varying traffic flow patterns for hallways, arrival and dismissal, and restroom use during busiest times of the school day.

  • Students will not be allowed to use the water fountain for drinking but can use the water fountains to fill their water bottles.

Campus Cleaning & Disinfecting

  • The district will create universal signage for all facilities including, but not limited to, signs for the use of face coverings per official orders, social distancing, hand-washing/sanitizing, directional signage for all employees and students.

  • Proper cleaning and disinfecting of school workspaces, and high-traffic areas (e.g., bathrooms, cafeterias, libraries, faculty lounge rooms) will be conducted routinely throughout the day.

  • Sanitation of the schools will be conducted each evening.

  • All classrooms will be provided with cleaner and hand sanitizer for students to clean their learning surfaces.

  • Hand sanitation stations will be available at designated entrances and other areas throughout the building. Everyone will be encouraged to perform hand hygiene frequently.

Student Attendance

  • The health and well-being of all students and employees is a priority. If you are sick, stay home, learn from home if you can, and come back to school when you are healthy enough to do so.

  • As always, contact your campus to report an absence, so we know how to best support your student while they are out sick.

Meals

  • The District will provide additional trash containers to support additional trash generated during or after mealtimes if meals are served or consumed in classrooms.

  • Students will eat meals in all available areas to maximize social distancing. These areas can include classrooms, lunchrooms, and other open areas.

  • If meals are consumed in classrooms, then cleaning of students’ spaces will be needed immediately before mealtime as well as directly after meals are finished. This will be done by students who are capable of cleaning, and other students will receive assistance from classroom employees.

  • All child nutrition staff will use PPE while performing job responsibilities and will be trained to practice health and hygiene regulations.

Promoting Social Distancing

  • Campuses will follow TEA guidelines to promote social distancing.

  • TEA Guidelines: Teachers will configure the classroom space for the number of students allowed. They will utilize desk placement and assigned seating to accommodate social distancing and will limit or eliminate group work in person. Teachers will use furniture for social distancing by identifying spaces as “Do Not Sit” or by other means rather than removing items from classrooms.

Nurses/Clinic

  • In collaboration with Health Services and guidance from TEA, campuses will implement protocols for students who require additional support from clinic staff, i.e., diabetes, medications, and regular care due to illness or injury, etc.

  • Visits to the school clinic will be for essential services only.

  • Campuses will utilize the school nurse to provide professional learning for students and employees regarding best practices for health and hygiene.

Transportation

  • TEA Guidelines: Students will wear face coverings on buses to the extent it is developmentally appropriate. Face coverings will be available on school buses for students who arrive without them, although students are expected to bring their own face covering. Hand sanitizer will be provided as students enter and exit the bus.

  • In all cases, windows will be lowered to allow for appropriate ventilation (weather permitting). Buses will be disinfected on a daily basis. Family members will be seated together, and seating charts will be used to limit possible exposure.

  • Bus drivers and attendants will wear face coverings in the presence of students.

Mental Health and Wellness for Students & Employees

  • Campuses will provide opportunities for students and employees to seek guidance counseling, whether in-person or online, through their campus counselors.

School/Extracurricular Activities

  • Extracurricular activities will follow TEA guidelines, UIL, community health organizations, and other agencies/organizations.

  • The District is still awaiting guidance from organizations connected to our extracurricular activities. We will provide updates as we receive this information.

  • Campuses will determine a schedule for using facility space that adheres to physical distancing guidelines.

  • Records shall be kept of all students and staff who are in attendance at each practice/meeting/rehearsal.

  • Any used equipment will be disinfected before another student uses it. All surfaces in practice/meeting/rehearsal areas will be thoroughly disinfected with MCISD-approved solutions throughout and at the end of each day.

  • Sharing water or food is prohibited.

COVID-19 Symptoms

In evaluating whether an individual has symptoms consistent with COVID-19, consider the following question:

Have they recently begun experiencing any of the following in a way that is not normal for them?

o Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit

o Loss of taste or smell

o Cough

o Difficulty breathing

o Shortness of breath

o Fatigue

o Headache

o Chills

o Sore throat

o Congestion or runny nose

o Shaking or exaggerated shivering

o Significant muscle pain or ache

o Diarrhea

o Nausea or vomiting

Close Contact

The definition of close contact is evolving with our understanding of COVID-19.

In general, close contact is defined as:

a. being directly exposed to infectious secretions (e.g., being coughed on); or

b. being within 6 feet for a largely uninterrupted or sustained extended contact period throughout the course of a day of approximately 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 symptomology may affect this determination.

Either (a) or (b) 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 confirming lab test.

Beginning Monday, December 7, 2020, Madisonville CISD will be changing our COVID-19 close contact quarantine policy to align with the current CDC and TEA guidelines. Our new close contact quarantine options for students and staff will be as follows:

- 10 days after the last close contact, so long as they continue to monitor themselves daily for symptoms and take appropriate precautions through day 14

- 7 days after the last close contact, after receiving a negative test result (administered at least 5 days after the last close contact), so long as they continue to monitor themselves daily for symptoms and take appropriate precautions through day 14

- 14 days after the last close contact

If your student is currently off campus because of being a close contact, and you have not spoken to your student's campus nurse, please contact her at your earliest convenience.

Please continue to check your student daily for symptoms of COVID-19. Do not send them to school if they are having symptoms of COVID-19, or have had close contact with a confirmed positive individual. Contact the campus nurse as soon as possible should either of these events occur.

REMEMBER: ALL STUDENTS 1ST - 12TH GRADES MUST WEAR A MASK EVERYDAY TO SCHOOL

You may contact your student's campus nurse with any questions.


Community health data continues to change in our MCISD community, and we are continuously monitoring this information and adjusting our plans accordingly. We are sharing these preliminary plans with the understanding that as we get closer to August 13, 2020, plans could change based on conditions.

UPDATED 12/7/2020