New COVID-19 Safety Guidelines Released by Texas Education Agency
It's time for yet another school year during the pandemic, and this time things are changing a bit.
The 2021-2022 school year is rapidly approaching, and on Thursday, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released a new set of guidelines for handling COVID-19.
Navigating the effects of COVID-19 has been far from easy. This virus has completely changed our day to day lives, and we're still attempting to figure out the best practices for keeping ourselves and others safe.
The most significant updates from the previous school year's guidelines include the following:
- School systems are not required to conduct COVID-19 contact tracing,
- Parents of students who are determined to be close contacts of an individual with COVID-19 may opt to keep their students at home OR in school,
- Masks will not be required, but students and staff may wear a mask if they choose,
- Schools do not have to inform parents if someone at the school tests positive for COVID-19,
- If someone at the school tests positive for COVID-19 the school must submit a report to the Texas Department of State Health Services via an online form and notify its local health department
The CDC has also updated their guidance, and the stay-at-home period can end for students experiencing no symptoms on Day 10 after close contact exposure, if no subsequent COVID-19 testing is performed.
There's only a few more months until 2022, and I'm sure that no one expected the pandemic to last as long as it has. Please encourage personal safety and responsibility so that we can protect the most vulnerable in our community. Here's to a new school year!
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