From: lubbockonline.com
By: Matt Dotray
Lubbock ISD Superintendent Dr. Kathy Rollo said she doesn’t foresee campuses closing this semester. Dr. Michelle McCord, superintendent of Frenship ISD, agreed.
While Wednesday was just the third day of in-person classes to begin the 2020-21 school year at the two districts, the superintendents said they remain confident in their safety measures.
Rollo and McCord said they’ve made small changes in the first three days of school, and they expect more as they keep taking suggestions from teachers. Most of the changes have to do with traffic flow, whether it’s students entering and exiting, or passing periods.
But as district and health officials have predicted for weeks, the first week of school has also seen confirmed coronavirus cases.
Lubbock ISD reported several positive COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. The confirmed exposures to COVID-19 at Guadalupe and Honey Elementary Schools. A possible exposure is being monitored at McCool Academy.
“District administrators and health specialists are confident the exposure risk due to close contact is minimal because of Lubbock ISD protocols requiring the wearing of appropriate face coverings for students, teachers, staff, and administrators; and/or social distancing,” the school district wrote in a news release.
“As a precautionary measure and in the spirit of transparency, we are asking families at these schools to closely monitor for these COVID-19 symptoms,” the news release continued. It then listed COVID-19 symptoms, which includes a fever, loss of taste or smell, cough and difficulty breathing.
McCord said during a news conference Wednesday that there have been no confirmed cases at Frenship. Lubbock-Cooper ISD’s first day of class was Wednesday.
Rollo and McCord joined city health leaders during the weekly news conference on Wednesday. The two superintendents discussed how exciting it is to have students back, and said they believe their safety protocols are working.
“Our protocols for student drop-off and pick-up have worked very well, as well as our lunch protocols and our bus transportation protocols,” Rollo said. “I’m extremely proud of our students, and adults in our buildings, because we’ve been wearing masks and social distancing, and everyone has done their part.”
McCord said no student has refused to wear a mask, and she’s proud of her students for that.
Rollo and McCord also acknowledged there have been a few hiccups in the virtual classes. They said teachers and students are still learning about the technology, and how best to learn online.
“We understand that virtual learning is not at all like it was last spring,” McCord said. “I can promise you that, of course, we’re going to work with every parent and every child to help them.”
There are stricter attendance guidelines for students this year, as well as grading procedures, as compared to the latter half of last spring during the early stages of the pandemic.
Katherine Wells, director of Lubbock’s health department, says they’re working with school districts to help with contact tracing and compiling information. When there is a positive case, Rollo said, parents and staff members will all be notified.
If a student or teacher has been identified through contact tracing about coming into close contact with the individual, Rollo said individual phone calls will be made and they’ll be asked to self-quarantine.
“We are not planning on closing down entire schools at any point,” Rollo reiterated Wednesday. “We really believe when we have positive cases, if we follow our protocols, and if we’re doing things we know, wearing masks and social distancing, we know we can reduce the spread and mitigate the spread of the virus. We don’t have any intention of full-scale closures.”