Vidor I.S.D. plans to mitigate COVID-19 on campuses

As the Vidor I.S.D. schools prepare for students to return to their classrooms, teachers and staff are taking additional measures to insure that traditional inschool classroom instruction proceeds safely with COVID-19 prevention measures in place in every classroom in the school district. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jay Killgo said that parents and guardians of school children will have the final say on whether their children will return to their classrooms or learn on-line in a self-paced, daily attendance required curriculum when school starts in just one week from today.

Parents and guardians must declare whether they will allow their children to attend school in their traditional classrooms or to stay at home with on-line instruction by July 31, 2020.

For those opting for regular in-school instruction, all V.I.S.D. campuses will be teaching the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills curriculum and using Google™ Classroom for that instruction.

For those opting for online learning, teachers will also be teaching the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills curriculum but on a self-paced instructional schedule that will require active and regular parent involvement. On-line students will also be require to report to their teachers online every school day for attendance purposes. Online learning students will use an online platform for grades Pre-Kindergarten through Fifth Grade while Sixth through Twelfth Grade Students will use “Edgenuity” courses on-line.

Every student in the Vidor I.S.D. will be issued a Google™ Tablet and be trained on how to access Google™ Classroom. Those students without Internet access will be given access to a mobile hotspot that will allow them to learn online from their homes.

The Superintendent, Principals, teachers and staff of the Vidor I.S.D. will follow a COVID-19 mitigation plan, a set of health and Coronavirus prevention measures and will adhere to a COVID-19 Stage Protocols for the safety of students and teachers on all campuses. Additionally, the school district has outlined an instructional model that provides for a continuation of instruction in the event a classroom or a school must temporarily move to a Blended Schoolto-Home instruction model due to an isolated outbreak or suspected COVID-19 case on a campus.

As developmentally appropriate and as per Centers For Disease Control guidelines, students, staff and visitors entering any V.I.S.D. facility will wear a face mask/covering. All students and staff will be required to maintain social distancing whenever possible in hallways and common areas of school campuses. All students and staff will be required to take a COVID-19 Health Assessment prior to coming to school or work each and every day.

If a classroom or a campus becomes compromised by the entry of a student or teacher with a confirmed case of COVID-19, that class or the entire campus might have to temporarily move to a Blended School-to Home Instruction for a short term or longer depending on the severity of the suspected contamination. This would likely entail the temporary closure of that classroom or even, perhaps, the entire facility for deep-cleaning before students could return to their classrooms.

If a campus or a class is moved to a Blended School to Home Instruction, daily at-home school attendance in the Blended School model will be required and students will be required to participate daily in their real-time on-line instruction. Teachers will instruct Blended School to Home students using Google™ Classroom or Google™ Meet. Those students moved from their classroom to a Blended School to Home classroom learning at home might have to adopt to a modified school day schedule.

The five stages of COVID-19 Standard Response protocols that will be adhered to when deciding when to move from in classroom instruction to Blended School to Home Instruction will be as follows:

Stage 5--No confirmed cases of COVID-19 among staff or students calls for continuation of Coronavirus prevention measure, daily intensive cleaning of school common areas, limiting visitor access and continuing to monitor COVID-19 trends in the community. No change in the in-classroom instruction.

Stage 4--One confirmed case of COVID-19 in one specific area of a facility calls for persons who came in close contact with the confirmed case carrier to be contacted and advised to follow CDC guidelines for self isolation and social distancing. Stage 4 also calls for the area where the confirmed case carrier was known to have been in a facility to be closed for deep cleaning. A short-term closure of that facility might be necessary.

Stage 3--More than one confirmed case of COVID-19 at a facility calls for all who came in contact with COVID-19 positive persons to follow CDC guidelines for self isolation, students and staff that are impacted may be sent home for Blended Learning model for a short time; the affected area will be closed for deep cleaning; self health monitoring will be imposed on all who remain; and a short term closure of the facility might be necessary.

Stage 4 protocol--If multiple confirmed COVID-19 cases are found to have impacted several areas of one school, the entire facility will be closed and all students and staff will move to Blended School to Home instruction model. Those in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 positive person will have to self-isolate and follow CDC guidelines. The School District will initiate district-wide communications with all staff and parents concerning self-health monitoring guidance.

Stage 5 protocol--If suspected or confirmed COVID-19 positive cases are found in the majority of all V.I.S.D. campuses then every campus will close; all district students will move to Blended School To Home Instruction model; deep disinfection of all campus facilities and school buses will be initiated; all outside auxiliary areas such as playgrounds and athletic fields will be closed to all persons and all extracurricular activities will likely be cancelled.