Health & Safety

To ensure a safe learning and working environment, every member of the SBISD family is asked to monitor his/her health and conduct a daily health screening before entering our buses or facilities, being alert for symptoms of COVID-19:

• fever or chills

• cough

• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• fatigue

• muscle or body aches

• headache

• new loss of taste or smell

• sore throat

• congestion or runny nose

• nausea or vomiting

• diarrhea

• feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit

• known close contact with a person who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19 or experiences any of the symptoms of COVID-19

All staff and students are expected to stay home if they have a fever, feel sick, or are exhibiting any of the symptoms of COVID-19.

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Any student who does not pass the screening:

In the case of a student who has failed a screening (i.e. or has symptoms  consistent with COVID-19) or has a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, the  student must stay home throughout the infection period, and cannot  return to campus until the school screens the student to determine if any of the below conditions for campus re-entry have been met:

• at least 3 days (72-hours) have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications) AND

• the child has improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) AND

• at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

In the case of a child who has symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and who does not get evaluated by a medical professional or tested for COVID-19, the child is assumed to have COVID-19, and the child should not return to school until the child has completed the same three-step criteria listed above.

If the child has symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and the parents want their child to return to school before completing the above self-isolation period, the child’s parents must obtain a medical professional’s note clearing the child for returning based on an alternative diagnosis.

If the child has been in prolonged close contact with a person who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19, they should notify the school and should not return to school until the end of the 14-day self- quarantine period from the last date of exposure, or until they obtain a medical  professional’s note clearing the child for returning based on a COVID-19 free diagnosis.

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Any employee who does not pass the screening must:

• stay home and notify their supervisor; OR if at work, notify their supervisor, report absence into AESOP, and go home.

SBISD will prohibit an employee from entering the campus who fails the screening criteria (i.e. has symptoms consistent with COVID-19) or has a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.  

Employees must meet the below criteria for re-entry: In the case of an employee who was diagnosed with COVID-19, the  employee may be ready to return to work when all three of the following criteria are met:

• at least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever- reducing medications) AND

• the employee has improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) AND

• at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

If an employee has symptoms AND tests positive OR is suspected to have COVID-19 they must: 

• The employee must follow the above requirements OR

• Must obtain a physician’s release to return to work due to an alternative diagnosis or negative test result.

If an employee has prolonged close contact exposure with an individual who has symptoms OR individual who tests positive for COVID-19 (Including someone at Home) OR employee tests positive but has no  symptoms. 

• The employee must self-isolate for 14 days; OR

• may return to work sooner with a negative test result AND provide a physician’s release to work.

Note: To be considered exposed to COVID-19, you need to have prolonged close contact with a person who has the virus. Close contact includes living in the same household, caring for a sick person with the virus, being within 6 feet of a sick person with the virus for at least 15 continuous minutes without the use of a face covering, or being in direct contact with secretions from the sick person.

 

We ask that every family in SBISD sign a SBISD Health & Safety Protocol Parent Acknowledgment Form, affirming your commitment to keep your child home if they are sick or have been exposed to a COVID-19 positive person. 

• All students should do a daily self-evaluation before coming to school or boarding school transportation.

• All students will be instructed on methods to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 at school.

• All students should practice appropriate physical distancing, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette.

• All students should regularly wash their hands when reporting to school and after using the restroom.

• All students will be trained on proper handwashing techniques and participate in scheduled handwashing times throughout the day.

• If physical distancing is not possible, face coverings should be used.

• All students (age-appropriate) are required to use non-medical grade face masks/face coverings/shields, covering nose and mouth, while in indoor common spaces.

• All masks and face coverings shall be free of any images, words, political slogans, with the exception of an SBISD school logo.

We ask that every employee in SBISD commit to staying home if they are sick or are required to self-quarantine.

• All SBISD employees will be asked to submit a written health screener weekly.

• All SBISD employees will be required to complete a self-screening daily.

• All employees will be expected to know, understand and practice methods to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 at work.

• All employees must practice appropriate cleaning and disinfection, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette.

• All employees are expected to regularly wash their hands when reporting to work and after using the restroom.

• All employees should maintain physical distancing where possible.

• All employees are required to use non-medical grade face masks/coverings/shields, covering nose and mouth, while in indoor common spaces.

• All masks and face coverings shall be free of any images, words, political slogans, with the exception of an SBISD school or district logo.

Each member of our community can support the district’s efforts to slow the spread of this infectious disease by following the CDC healthy hygiene practices:

• Wash your hands often.

• Use hand sanitizer if soap and water is not available.

• Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.

• Cover coughs and sneezes.

• Practice physical distancing when and where feasible.

 

In an abundance of caution, all district facilities will be closed to nonessential visitors, parents, volunteers, and activities involving external groups or organizations for the first semester.

• Parents dropping students off in the morning or picking up at dismissal will be required to wait outside.

• Essential meetings will be conducted through virtual appointments or limited face-to-face visits.

• Public service providers, essential vendors, and contractors may be allowed into a district facility by appointment and must follow the check-in process.

• All visitors to an SBISD site will be verbally screened (via questioning) for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

• Any visitor who fails to satisfactorily answer the screening questions will not be allowed to enter and will be asked to leave immediately.

• Staff, students, and parents will be notified of any relevant closures for COVID-19 exposure due to confirmation of a positive COVID-19 test. The district will isolate and decontaminate the affected classroom, workplace, vehicle, equipment, etc., as necessary.

• Training is essential to our plan – all students and employees will have health protocol training.

• The District will provide age-appropriate CDC hygiene lessons to students on hand washing, face coverings, how COVID spreads, respiratory etiquette and proper use of masks and face coverings.

• All District employees will be trained on health safety protocols through the Safe Schools SBISD training online program.

• Additional CDC training modules will be available on handwashing, face coverings, how COVID spreads, respiratory etiquette and proper use of masks and face coverings.

• All district facilities will have health safety signage on health, COVID-19 symptoms, how COVID spreads, hand washing, face coverings, respiratory etiquette and social distancing.

Everyone, students and adults alike, will be required to wear a mask and/or face covering as part of our LearnSBISD health and safety protocol unless a medical condition or religious practice would require otherwise*.

Students and employees are welcome to bring a mask/face covering from home. All masks/face coverings shall be free of any images, words,  political slogans, with the exception of an SBISD school or district logo.

The district will provide masks and other personal protection equipment (PPE) to both employees and students.

Face covering/mask/shield should:

• Properly over the nose and mouth.

• Be worn when physical distancing is not possible or practical.

• Be worn during passing periods and in common spaces-e.g. restrooms, hallways, library, cafeteria, gym, meeting rooms, offices, after school, etc.

• Be worn on the bus.

• All masks/face coverings shall be free of any images, words, political slogans, with the exception of an SBISD school or district logo.

*A note from a health care provider is required if a student/employee has a health condition that inhibits them from wearing a face covering/mask.

• We will follow TEA guidelines for physical distancing. For example, in our classrooms, we will clear any unnecessary furniture, like reading couches.

• We will space desks as far apart as possible, and we’ll turn desks to face all in the same direction.

• Classrooms with table seating will position students to achieve social distancing or use tabletop partitions as needed.

• All Child Nutrition Services staff will continue to practice ‘personal hygiene’ standards as required and will wear PPE while performing job duties.

• No outside food deliveries will be accepted (i.e., food, gifts, DoorDash, etc.).

• Students may bring their lunch.

• Grab and go style meals may be served in the cafeteria and taken to classrooms for consumption or other areas as designated by campus administration.

• Detailed information about meal services for families who chose the distance learning model will be provided.

• SBISD encourages all families, with the ability to do so, to transport children to and from school.

• Bus transportation will be offered for families who pre-register for bus service by July 24, 2020.

• Because the standard number of transported students compromises the ability to physically distance, all students will be required to wear face coverings/masks, covering nose and mouth while riding a district bus.

• All bus drivers will wear face-coverings.

• All students will use hand sanitizer upon boarding the bus.

• Each bus will be sanitized daily. Transportation staff will be trained in proper sanitation procedures.

• All SBISD vehicles will be equipped with sanitation and cleaning supplies.

Even before COVID-19, SBISD’s custodial staff used hospital-grade cleaning agents, and our custodians are trained to clean for health.

Daily District and Campus Facilities Cleaning

• Each classroom and restroom will be sanitized daily.

• All high touch areas will be sanitized daily.

• Cleaning cloths will be changed for each classroom and common area to maximize room to room cleanliness.

• Custodians will wear masks and gloves during work hours.

• The cafeteria will be disinfected between lunch periods.

• Staff will have access to disinfectant wipes to sanitize working surfaces and shared objects after each use and during breaks in instruction.

• Classrooms will be cleared of unnecessary furniture such as reading couches and large bookshelves to allow the maximum square footage for student seating.

• Reduce and remove extra materials.

• Space seating/desks will be physically distanced when feasible.

• Turn desks to face in the same direction (rather than facing each other).

• Classrooms with tables will have students seated at opposite ends and have a divider between seats if the distance is less than 3 feet, or have students sit on only one side of tables, spaced apart or use tabletop partitions.