August 20, 2021
Good afternoon parents and staff,
During the lead-up to school, we have brought you information on our Healthy Campus Plan and the directives we have received from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) relative to COVID-19 and other communicable illness protocols for our school. I have also reported that these directives have been evolving week-by-week and at times, day-by-day, which makes planning for school operations challenging. Some of the notable changes are as follows:
- Our notification requirements have expanded to include notifying not only students who were in a particular classroom with a positive case, to those who were in extracurricular, sports, or other programs with the student. This will expand our notification parameters to comply with the new directive.
- For our staff members who are in close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, we are now required to obtain a rapid test prior to the next day the staff member will be on campus. The rapid test will be repeated every other day until 10 days have elapsed. This is a change in our protocol on campus; however, will not affect students.
In addition, TEA has revised its position on GA-38 – Masks and Vaccines. I have included the excerpt below:
“Please note, mask provisions of GA-38 are not being enforced as the result of ongoing litigation. Further guidance will be made available after the court issues are resolved.” (TEA Public Health Guidance Document, August 19, 2021)
I have spoken with our school attorney about the most recent ruling by the Texas Supreme Court and want to caution parents that this is an ever-evolving situation. The court cases will continue to make their way through the judicial system over the next several weeks or months. Staff and I will monitor those decisions, consult with our surrounding ISDs and Charter superintendents, discuss our plans with our school attorney, and implement the directives we receive from TEA.
I have heard from parents who have requested that we reconsider our position on mandating face coverings on-campus and from those who wish it to remain a personal choice. We will continue to hear from our parents who have strong beliefs relative to COVID safety measures and understand that we will not all agree. What we can agree on is that we want the students on campus to learn and continue their education in the safest environment possible.
The Board of Trustees will review the issue of using face coverings and other options for on-campus operations at our meeting on Monday, August 23, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. If you would like to attend in person, we meet at 1500 Solana Boulevard, Building 7, Suite 7200, Westlake, Texas 76262.
We will have limited capacity in our Council Chambers, so if you are unable to attend the meeting in-person and would like to offer feedback on this issue, you may email me at [email protected]. I ask that you keep your email professional and kind as this is a difficult time for all of us to navigate. We must all work together on behalf of the school and the students as we want the very best for your children and our staff teams.
Please ensure your email reaches me by 9:00 a.m. Monday, August 23rd to allow time to prepare the responses for Board review. I will then consolidate your responses and provide them to the governing board at the meeting.
Sincerely,
