2021-2022 NEWS

COVID-19 Prevention, Mitigation, and Response Procedures at HISD

August 6, 2021

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Hawkins ISD looks forward to welcoming all students back to in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year! We continue to monitor the guidance of local, county, and state health agencies to ensure we find an appropriate balance of health and safety procedures that afford us the opportunity to ensure high levels of student learning. The following health and safety protocols, subject to additional TEA guidance, will be in place at the start of the 2021-22 school year.

As we plan for returning to school at Hawkins ISD, we recognize that this will be another year navigating through COVID-19. However, we remain committed to supporting your student’s learning, as well as his or her safety. In addition, we recognize the challenges our staff will face again this year while serving our students and families.

This document outlines the procedures our campuses will have in place to prevent or mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to respond if a positive case is identified.

Positive Lab-Confirmed Cases of COVID19 or Showing Symptoms

Conditions for return to school after an individual shows symptoms or gets a positive test result:

Either:

24 hours with no fever; and

Symptoms improved; and

10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared

Or:

A doctor’s note indicating an alternate diagnosis and COVID-19 negative. The district nurse can also provide a Rapid Covid Test with parent permission. See the District Website for scheduling information.

Close Contact

The CDC has updated their guidance stating that the stay-at-home period can end for students experiencing no symptoms on DAY 10 after close contact exposure if no subsequent COVID19 testing is performed. Alternatively, students can end the stay-at-home period if they receive a negative test result from a PCR Acute Infection Test after the close contact exposure ends.

Close Contact through Proximity and Duration of Exposure: Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes).

Except in certain circumstances, people who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 should quarantine. However, the following people with recent exposure may NOT need to quarantine:

-People who have been fully vaccinated

-People who were previously diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last three months

Exception: In the K–12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) if both the infected student and the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time.

Mitigation

Our district will be taking the following steps across each of our campuses to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Masks will be optional for students, staff, and visitors. Campuses will work to ensure no person is treated differently as a result of their choice to wear or not wear a mask.

Staff and students will continue to be expected to wash their hands frequently throughout the day.

Parents and employees will continue to be required to report confirmed positive cases of COVID19 to the campus administration or their supervisor.

Staff and students with a confirmed case of COVID19 must quarantine for 10 days from the date of symptom onset or positive test if no symptoms.

For elementary, parents will be notified when there is a positive case in their student’s class. For secondary, parents will be notified when there is a positive case on campus.

Staff members will not conduct close contact reviews, and students and staff will not be required to quarantine for exposure.

Masking

Effective June 5, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott prohibited public schools from requiring masks on their campuses for students, teachers, parents, staff members, or visitors. This decision was part of an executive order dated May 18, 2021, that banned government entities in Texas - like cities, counties, school districts, and public health authorities - from mandating masks. This policy was reaffirmed in a second executive order dated July 29, 2021.

As a result of the Governor’s executive order, Hawkins ISD is not permitted to mandate masks for students, staff, or visitors, despite recommendations from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics that all individuals over the age of 2 wear masks in schools, regardless of vaccination status. Hawkins ISD’s masking policy allows students, staff, and families to make personal decisions regarding the use of face coverings based on their unique circumstances.

Athletics and Extracurricular Activities

Athletics and extracurricular activities will resume normal processes in 2021-2022. Extracurricular activities will follow guidelines set forth by UIL and other related agencies and organizations. Field trips will resume in 2021-2022. All field trips will adhere to the health and safety guidelines established by TEA and HISD ISD.

We hope that this information gives you confidence in our systems and our ability to stop the spread of COVID-19 on our campuses. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us or visit our website at Strong Start. Since schools have just received this new guidance, we are currently working to update all the information on the website.

While this will be a challenging year, we believe it can also be a great one, and we look forward to supporting your student in his or her learning journey.

Sincerely,

Susan Morton, Interim Superintendent

Stephanie McConnell, Assistant Superintendent