Irving ISD will implement numerous COVID-19 protocols when students and staff return to school next month, from frequent classroom cleanings to health assessments.
The school district outlined the measures in a “Blueprint for the Return to School 2021-2022″ on its website.
Superintendent Magda Hernandez said in a press release she believes in-person learning is the most effective method of instruction for students, and that the district is working to offer it “in a safe and healthy way.”
School will start Aug. 16.
Here are some of the new measures:
- Numerous entrances will be used for arrival and dismissal, with specific procedures varying by campus.
- Students and staff will maintain at least three feet of distance as often as possible, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Campus visitors must take a COVID-19 self-assessment upon entering the building. Visitors will not be permitted during breakfast or lunch.
- Classrooms and restrooms will be disinfected daily and in between class periods. All high-touch surfaces will be disinfected daily and the cafeteria will be disinfected during and between lunch periods.
- Parents will be encouraged to walk with or drop students off at school. For students who ride a school bus, hand sanitizer will be available upon entering the bus. When weather permits, school bus windows will remain open for better air circulation. Bus drivers will wipe down high-touch surfaces between routes. Buses will be sanitized at least twice daily and disinfected weekly with a fine mist sprayer.
- Although the state is not allowing public schools to require face coverings, the district will support students and staff who want to continue wearing a face mask.
- Staff or students with confirmed COVID-19 cases or who are experiencing symptoms must stay home throughout the infection period and cannot return to campus until they are screened by the district.
- If students experience COVID-19 symptoms, a school nurse will provide a clinical assessment to decide whether to send them home. Students will be separated from their peers and picked up within one hour. Their classmates will be removed from the classroom while it is disinfected.
- The district will notify all potential close contacts of students or staff who test positive for COVID-19.
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