Letter from Superintendent O'Brien

While this is an unusual start to the school year, we want you to know that we are committed to supporting your student’s learning as well as his or her safety.

This letter outlines the procedures our campuses will have in place to prevent or mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to respond if a positive case is identified. We know that you have now decided about continuing with virtual learning or beginning face-to-face instruction September 28. Remember that you will have the opportunity to change your child’s model of instruction at the end of a grading period.  

The virus that causes COVID-19 can infect people of all ages, but research from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), among others, has found that while children do get infected by COVID-19 and some severe outcomes have been reported in children, relatively few children with COVID-19 are hospitalized or have severe symptoms. For many children, there are distinct benefits to attending school in person, including instructional, social and safety benefits. For these reasons, the American Academy of Pediatrics has made a statement supporting on-campus instruction for students in the coming year.

While it is not possible to eliminate all risk of furthering the spread of COVID-19, the current science suggests there are many steps schools can take to significantly reduce the risks to students, teachers, staff and their families. The Goose Creek strategy for opening and operating is outlined below. More detailed information can be found in our Parent Guide for the 2020-2021 Safe Return to School Plan on our website at www.gccisd.net.

Prevention
To prevent COVID-positive individuals from entering our campuses, your student’s school will have the following COVID-19 symptom screening procedures in place:

• All staff will be required to self-screen daily.
• All visitors will be required to make an appointment and screen upon arrival.
• Parents are asked to proactively identify when their student exhibits COVID-19 symptoms or has been exposed and to keep them home (see Self-Health Assessment below).

COVID-19 Self-Health Assessment
Do you or your child have any of the symptoms/conditions listed below?

• Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit
• Loss of taste or smell
• Cough
• Difficulty breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Chills
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Shaking or exaggerated shivering
• Significant muscle pain or ache
• Diarrhea
• Nausea or vomiting
• In the last 14 days, been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, has COVID-19, or is under evaluation for COVID-19

If the answer is YES to any of the above, your child should remain home. Additionally, it is recommended you consult with your primary care physician.

Information collected in these screens will not be retained if the screening is passed. If a parent indicates that a student is demonstrating COVID-19 symptoms, the school will retain that information until the student meets the criteria for return to school.

Criteria for Return to School
These are the conditions for return to school after an individual shows symptoms or gets a positive test result.

Either:

• 24 hours with no fever (without fever-reducing medications); and
• Symptoms improved; and
• 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared

Or:

• An acute infection test at an approved testing location (https://tdem.texas.gov/covid-19/) that comes back negative for COVID-19

Or:

• A doctor’s note indicating an alternate diagnosis

Mitigation:
Our district will take the following steps across each of our campuses to mitigate the spread of COVID-19:

• All adults (including visitors) in the building will wear a face covering. A face covering is defined as a mask that covers the mouth and nose (to include non-medical/medical-grade disposable face masks and cloth face coverings). 
• Clear face shields provide only a partial barrier to respiratory droplets. If a face shield is used during non-instructional time, a face covering must be used with it. Otherwise, a face shield may be used in place of a mask to protect eyes, nose and mouth in the following circumstances:
  • while providing instruction to children with hearing loss who depend on lip reading and facial expressions to aid in communication.
  • while providing instruction when the education context may benefit from the ability to see an individual’s full face.
  • while providing assessment/testing sessions (SPED, bilingual, 504, etc.).
• All students in grades 1-12 will be required to wear face coverings except when participating in activities that cannot be conducted with a face covering on, such as eating or unless it is not developmentally appropriate for the student to wear a face covering. Mask breaks may be allowed.
  Click the link for the Mask Protocol: https://www.gccisd.net/upload/page/1184/docs/MaskProtocol.pdf
• Students in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten are encouraged to wear face coverings.
• Frequent handwashing will be encouraged.
• Hand sanitizing stations will be available.
• Safety and hygiene reminders will be posted.
• Cleaning and disinfecting buildings and buses will be required.

Response:
In the event of a COVID-positive case on campus, the campus will take the following steps:

• All areas that are heavily used by the individual with the lab-confirmed case will be closed off until disinfected.
• All teachers, staff and families of all students in the school will be notified.
• The local health department will be notified.

We hope that this information gives you confidence in our systems and in our ability to stop the spread of COVID-19 on our campuses. As you know, this is a fluid event, and we will update protocols as needed. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your student’s campus or visit our website at www.gccisd.net.

While this will be a challenging start to the school year, we believe that together we can make it a great year! We look forward to supporting your student in his or her learning journey.

Sincerely,
 
Dr. Randal O’Brien
Superintendent of Schools