August 23, 2021
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Thank you for a great start to the school year. Our “Meet the Teacher” and “Meet the Hawks” events were both well attended. It is very refreshing to see so much parental and community involvement. A special thanks to all for the preparation and work that went into these two events. We are also extremely grateful for all of the school supplies donated by the HALO group. It takes a village to raise a child. HISD is so thankful for all that is done to help and support HISD, our community and our families in the continually changing situations regarding the management of Covid-19.
As we continue to navigate the ever-changing rules and regulations surrounding COVID-19, we want to make sure we keep you well informed about how these changes will affect us at Hawkins ISD. One thing is for certain--Students learn better when they are in school receiving direct instruction from teachers. 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:
Or:
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. The school district will do NO contact tracing. We will leave it up to the parent or legal guardian to decide if a student needs to quarantine due to close contact.
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:
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.
Staff members who may have had close contact with a Covid-19 positive person shall report to the school nurse; the staff member will be tested by the school nurse every other day for 10 days IF they choose to return to work. Again, close contact is determined by the staff member and not by the school district or school personnel.
Our Counts of Current Cases NEW (8/23/21)
Check out our news article regarding daily counts of cases. This chart updates daily as new cases are reported. Go to Hawkins ISD website and click on news articles.
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.
An important thing to note is that our campuses will be fogged every day to help control the spread of Covid-19. Our night custodial crew will make sure all areas are fogged after the areas are thoroughly cleaned at the conclusion of every single school day.
Self-Reporting COVID-19
Students and staff will be encouraged to self-report when they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have received a positive diagnosis of COVID-19. To self-report, use this form: Employees of HISD: https://bit.ly/employeeself-report
Students of HISD: https://bit.ly/studentself-report
Rapid Testing
HOW DO I GET MY CHILD TESTED?
Submit a self-report on our website if your child is displaying COVID-19 symptoms. (Testing is not mandatory and can only be administered with full parental consent.)
Schedule an appointment here: https://bit.ly/hawkinscovidtest
Arrive at your scheduled appointment time to have the test administered. (URGENT: Do not send your child to school if they are currently displaying symptoms of COVID-19.)
HOW MUCH DOES TESTING COST?
Our HISD test administrator will call to share results after the test has been administered and/or the results will be shared with you via email and text message within 30-60 minutes. The results will also be shared with the school/district and with the local health department to allow for public health reporting, and to determine the stay-at-home period for individuals who test positive.
Temperature Checks NEW (8/23/21)
The district will begin temperature monitoring each morning upon arrival to the campuses. Any student with fever will be sent immediately to the nurse for isolation.
UIL Guidelines NEW (8/23/21)
If a student has been diagnosed with COVID-19, he/she may not participate in UIL marching band or athletic activities until the student has been cleared by a physician.
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.
We want to keep you informed as changes arise. As always, thank you for your support and for your help in keeping our campuses as safe as possible.
Sincerely,
Susan Morton, Interim Superintendent
Stephanie McConnell, Assistant Superintendent
