Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Carroll Trustees Make Changes to Mask Mandate

During the April 5 Board Meeting, the CISD School Board heard the results of the Parent Mask Survey and received new recommendations from the COVID-19 Response Team.

Those serving on the COVID-19 Response Team include the Superintendent, Superintendent’s cabinet, principals, and all central office executive directors, directors, lead nurse and instructional coordinators. Teachers and other support staff have been included in an instructional task force that has assisted the COVID-19 Response team.

The COVID-19 Response Team presented the results from the Parent Mask Survey which showed parent thoughts on both student and staff mask changes. The Board heard and approved the recommendation of the team which made masks optional for students and adults when outdoors, provided that social distancing is in place or movement is occurring (such as playing at recess). There were no changes made to the mask policy indoors or on buses.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Tarrant County Health’s latest update, there is no evidence the desk shields are effective against COVID-19, so desk shields are now also optional for students in grades prekindergarten through sixth grade. Lockers will continue to not be used as a practice, however, considerations will be made in some cases as approved by the campus principal.

Notifications of positive COVID-19 cases will change as well. General notifications of positive COVID-19 cases will now go out once per week, at the end of the week, instead of as they occur. Close contacts would still be investigated and contacted as soon as possible once the District is notified.

Campuses are trying to hold as many end-of-year events outdoors as possible to ensure that parents are able to attend and also to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. In May, the District may allow some large group gatherings for end-of-year events (Senior Prom, Kindergarten Graduations, clap-outs, etc.). The coordinators of the event must follow the hosting facility’s safety, capacity and food guidelines.

As of the April 1 COVID-19 Response Team meeting, employees will have the opportunity to hold summer camps. Prior to the camp being approved, they must submit a COVID-19 mitigation plan that includes how they will social distance, limit class size, implement mask protocols (if necessary), and a close contact tracing plan. The dates and times of summer camps will also be reduced to help with cleaning schedules. Information about camps will be released soon.

To view the presentation and survey results from the April 5 meeting, click here. To view the video from the April 5 Board Meeting on this topic, click here and click on Item 5.

 

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