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Eanes ISD

Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services (RIPICS) Plan

COVID Protocols 2023-24

As of March 27, 2024*
* we will continually update this website as conditions warrant

The purpose of this plan is to outline specific areas impacting how the health and safety of students, educators, and other staff will be maintained during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  

Following the COVID-19 public health guidance issued by the Texas Education Agency, Eanes ISD will exclude students/staff from attending school in person who have or are suspected of having COVID-19.  Exclusion shall continue until the conditions for re-entry are met:

  • Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 may return to school when they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

Parents must ensure they do not send a child to school if the child has COVID-19 symptoms or has tested positive for COVID-19 until the conditions for re-entry are met. 

Eanes ISD school nurses will continue to send students home who have a fever, diarrhea, are vomiting, lose sense of taste or smell, or display significant symptoms of illness. Please refer to the EISD Health Website. 

Notifications
Notification to the school nurse for students or Human Resources for staff is no longer needed.

COVID-19 Testing
At this time, the District is not offering COVID-19 testing. If you need to get tested, please reach out to your local health authority, physician or pharmacy. For more information visit https://www.austintexas.gov/covid-testinfo.  

Vaccinations
Per Gov. Abbott's order,  Eanes ISD cannot require students or staff to get vaccinated. At this time, the State of Texas has not added the COVID-19 vaccination to the required immunization list for students. Further, Eanes ISD cannot require students or staff to report vaccination status. 

For those seeking a vaccination, please reach out to your local health authority, physician, or pharmacy for information on where to find vaccinations and eligibility criteria.

COVID-19 Reporting/Tracking
Starting June 1, 2023, the District will not maintain a COVID-19 dashboard. 
Starting March 27, 2024, the District will not be reporting COVID cases to health officials.

Contact Tracing
Starting June 1, 2023 there will be no notifications regarding COVID cases.

Masking
Per GA-38, school systems cannot require students or staff to wear a mask. However, masks are optional for any student, staff or visitor who wishes to wear one. Anyone wishing to wear a mask must provide their own.  Eanes ISD will not supply masks during the 2023-24 school year.

Absences
If a student is absent due to testing positive for COVID-19, the school/teacher will implement the following:

  • The teacher will work with the student and parent to provide make-up work to the student, understanding there is not a remote instruction option available
  • Teachers will utilize the appropriate LMS (Seesaw, Showbie or Google Classroom) to provide students with work to be completed
  • The student will submit make-up work as noted in the student handbook (one school day per day of absence) after returning to school

Employees must use personal leave time or comp time while they are isolating. 

Visitors & Meetings
There are no COVID restrictions for visitors or in-person meetings.  However, all other campus and district policies and procedures regarding visitors to campus are in effect.

Cleaning/Sanitation Protocols/Mitigation Measures
Frequent cleaning and disinfection will support a healthy learning and work environment for students and staff. Eanes ISD will continue with cleaning and sanitization in its buildings and campuses. 

Staff, students and visitors are encouraged to wash their hands frequently with soap and water following CDC guidelines and to cover their mouths and noses when sneezing or coughing.  These hygiene routines will continue to be reinforced for our students, especially for our younger students learning these skills and for students with disabilities who may require additional support. 
During the past three school years, upgrades were made to facility HVAC systems including increasing air filter efficiency and installing iWave air treatment units, which helps clean the building air.
At this time, Eanes ISD is not enforcing and social distancing requirements in our buildings or on buses.  

Extra- and Co-Curricular Activities
All extra- and co-curricular activities resumed with no capacity or participation restrictions. 

Continuity of Services
Eanes ISD is committed to supporting our students and staff in their learning and working environments. 

The Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Department continues to work with campus staff to identify any areas of learning loss and help support students academically, socially, emotionally and behaviorally. 

For academic concerns, please contact your child’s teacher, school administrator or counselor. 

For social-emotional support, please contact your school counselor, school-based therapist or visit the Healthy Chaps Website for additional information and resources.

Food services have resumed normal pre-COVID operations.  

If a family is experiencing financial hardship and needs to apply for the federal lunch program for free or reduced cost meals, please visit Child Nutrition.

Any health-related issues should be addressed with the school nurse.

Students with disabilities should reach out to the campus §504 coordinator or special education case manager to discuss needed accommodations for COVID or non-COVID related issues. 

 

 

 

 

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