As worried as we all are about the existing COVID world we are living in, I still need everyone to know how proud I am (and how proud you should be) of our children, our teachers and staff, and our NISD families. With all the stress this situation is putting on us, we still have more than 27,000 students and more than 3,000 staff members doing their jobs every day, and I truly appreciate that. As our mantra has become, we will get through this together!

As I promised you in last week’s Superintendent’s Update, we have continued to monitor the COVID dashboard, and as most of our parents and caregivers know, the number of COVID cases in our schools continues to increase. We reached 440 cases, and my thoughts and prayers continue to go out to those families impacted by this crazy pandemic. As I also promised, NISD is continuing to analyze, modify, and increase the district’s Health and Safety Protocols, and that is what I am reporting to you this week. These new protocols will also be discussed during a Facebook Live update next Tuesday, September 7, at 6 p.m.

With COVID cases continuing to increase, we are implementing some changes to our Health and Safety Protocols (Phase 2 as we are calling them) effective tomorrow morning, Friday, September 3. You will see that we are tightening up in some areas and are relaxing others based on discussions with our local health officials.

One of the biggest changes is that we are implementing different and more stringent measures for elementary schools since these students are still not eligible to be vaccinated. As we consider campus closures of high clusters of COVID cases, we will begin investigations at the elementary level when a campus reaches 3% of the campus population (students, teachers, and staff). At the secondary level, we will begin investigations as those schools reach 10%. The 10% rate coincides with the CDC’s thresholds for high community transmission, as well as the recommendation of our local health departments. Please keep in mind that the 3% and 10% threshold does not initiate a firm closure … it is a guide to begin more thorough investigations of linked cases, grade level/activity trends, etc.

Even though we value and appreciate our parents and school guests, our schools will now continue to be closed to visitors during the school day for nine weeks (an extension of the previous four-week period) and there will be no more large gatherings of students or staff (such as assemblies or pep rallies) inside the school during the school day. At the elementary level, our school buildings will be closed to visitors at all times for the duration of our Phase 2 protocols, and as an extra precaution, this unfortunately means that even after-school events and celebrations (fall festivals, award ceremonies, etc.) will be cancelled or will need to move outdoors. At the secondary level, large gatherings held outdoors may continue, and some after-school indoor events may continue as well – again, recognizing that these students have the option of being vaccinated.

I cannot stress enough … please wear your mask and be vaccinated (if eligible). Too many people are being impacted by COVID for us to not take this seriously, and as an NISD community, we have to reach that goal of Herd Immunity. We will continue to monitor the number of COVID cases and our protocols, so please be aware that our protocols could change as necessary.

I appreciate and respect the input we’re receiving from families about implementing mask mandates. Our community is still very divided on this issue. We are monitoring the legal challenges to the Governor’s order. The Texas Education Agency stated that the anti-mask provisions of the Governor’s order “are not being enforced as a result of ongoing litigation.” We strongly encourage all students and staff members to wear face coverings indoors when social distancing is not possible to prevent the spread of the virus. Masks are an effective tool to prevent virus spread. By wearing a mask, each person can help prevent the spread of the virus in our schools and decrease the likelihood of class, campus, and program closures in the coming weeks.  

Parents and caregivers, please be prepared for a possible school, classroom, program, or bus route closure. The number of classroom closures has increased since I wrote you last week, and several of our bus routes are now close to being impacted. Please monitor your email for the shared class/activity notifications, and be aware and prepared for having your child home for a possible 10 calendar day period. If your child rides the bus and you receive notifications of increased cases, please be prepared to find alternative transportation to school.

I’m afraid I overwhelmed our schools and school clinics with phone calls after my last message sharing the availability of the COVID rapid test in our school health clinics. To ensure we make the best use of test kits, these tests are only used when someone is actually exhibiting COVID symptoms. Let me clarify these guidelines to avoid any confusion. If your child becomes ill while at school and displays COVID symptoms that would warrant the clinic sending your child home, they can receive a test. Smaller issues, such as a runny nose, aren’t enough to warrant using our supply of COVID test kits. The same criteria applies to those who receive notification letters stating their children shared a class with someone who tested positive. To be tested, your child must exhibit notable COVID symptoms.

 

We’ve also received questions about what to do if your child is sick at home and you think they may have COVID. Let me be clear about this: Do not send a sick child to school. Our goal is to halt any potential COVID spread, and sending a child to school when he or she is sick doesn’t help with that. Instead, if your child is sick at home and exhibiting symptoms, take them to a medical professional or use an at-home COVID testing kit. You can then report that test result to us.

These are challenging times, and unfortunately there are no easy fixes or easy decisions that suit every family and every situation. I recognize that you may or may not agree with the protocols we are following and you may very well be impacted by a closure – and for that I apologize. However, I thank you for your patience and grace as we are striving to do what’s best for our students and staff, while staying within the constraints of what we can control.

Ryder Warren, Superintendent

Northwest Independent School District