Giddings ISD Instructional & Operational Protocols for the 2020-2021 School Year

Giddings ISD Instructional & Operational Protocols for the 2020-2021 School Year


Please complete this survey as soon as possible but no later than August 3

  GISD Return to School Safely Survey


PLEASE NOTE:  The guidelines in this document are subject to revision as guidance and directives from the Governor, Commissioner of Education, and local authorities are given to public school districts. 7/21 /2020


Giddings ISD is committed to providing high-quality instruction to all students, regardless of the instructional setting. The district is also committed to providing as safe of an environment as possible for those students and staff returning to campus. Therefore, this document contains the essential instructional and operational protocols that Giddings ISD will use to safely instruct students. The plan below is based on the most recent guidance provided to the district. The district believes that the information included in this document to be vital for parents to make informed decisions for their students in the coming school year. 

Students will have the option, for the 2020-2021 school year, to receive instruction remotely or face to face. The Texas Education Agency has stated that we must provide an on-campus option for students otherwise entitled to attend school whose parents wish them to attend on campus. The district will ask parents to inform us of their preferred method of instruction in a survey, due August 3, and the online registration packet which is due August 7. The August 3 information will allow us to begin building student schedules. However, parents will have the opportunity, in the online registration, to answer once again to confirm or change whether their student will attend school face to face or receive instruction remotely, which will then be used to build final student schedules. Any student whose parents opt for face to face instruction will need to also indicate if they plan for their child to ride transportation provided by the district. Any student opting for remote learning may be required to remain in that mode of instruction until the end of a designated time before a change to face to face will be made. 

Remote Learning Instructional Protocols

Remote (Asynchronous) Learning:  

All Giddings ISD campuses will offer remote learning that does not require having the students engage with the teacher live.  This type of instruction may include various forms of digital and online learning, such as prerecorded video lessons or game-based learning tasks that students complete on their own and pre-assigned work, test, and quizzes made available to students.

  • If a student begins the year in remote learning, they will be required to commit to remote learning for the first 6 weeks of the school year.

  • If a student must transition to remote learning due to a medical condition, once cleared by a medical doctor, the student is able to transition back to school.

  • Instruction will address the same curriculum as face to face instruction.

  • School grading policies for remote student work must be consistent with those used before COVID for on campus assignments per TEA.

  • Students in grades Pre-K thru 2nd will require a higher degree of parental/care-giver support.

  • All remote learning will be completed using technology and the internet.  Paper Packets will NOT be available for remote learning.

  • Remote learning lessons will mirror face to face instruction taking place in the classroom as closely as possible.

  • Lessons for remote learning will consist of the following:

    • Instructional videos, slideshows, notes, handouts, video conferences, and/or discussion boards, and

    • Assignments, quizzes, projects, and/or tests.

  • Grading requirements utilized for remote learning will be the same as for face to face instruction.  

    • Students will receive grades on assignments, quizzes, projects, and/or tests based on the percentage of correct answers or by utilizing the same rubric used for students participating in face to face instruction (A: 90-100%, B: 80-89%, C: 70-79%, F 0-69%).

    • Students will NOT receive a pass/fail grade for work.

  • Compulsory attendance laws still apply to students ages 6-19. State law requires children to attend school each day that instruction is provided. Students must meet the attendance requirements for 90% of school days to get credit for courses and/or grade level. For remote learning, students must meet the requirements listed below.

  • Truancy laws will apply to remote learning students who fail to meet the attendance requirements listed below.

  • Student Remote Learning Engagement Requirements for Attendance

    • Students who participate in remote learning must be self-directed.  They must complete lessons each day on their own time schedule.

    • Remote Learning students must:

      • Login and make progress in each subject or course each day by participating in the lesson activities,

      • Engage in discussions with teachers and classmates, or

      • Submit the required assignments, quizzes, or tests for that day.

Public Health Guidance for Face to Face Instruction

Red text indicates guidance that is required by the Texas Education Agency

  • School systems must require teachers and staff to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before coming onto campus each day.

  • Before visitors are allowed onto campuses, school systems must screen all visitors to determine if the visitors have COVID-19 symptoms or are lab-confirmed with COVID-19, and, if so, they must remain off campus until they meet the criteria for re-entry.

  • Only people with essential business will be allowed on campus.

  • Parents/Guardians will not be allowed to escort their child to class.

  • The Governor’s Order on July 2nd requires every person in Texas shall wear a face covering over the nose and mouth when inside a commercial entity or other building or space open to the public, or when in an outdoor public space, wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household.

    • Students on the GES campus are not required to wear a face covering while on campus, but it is highly recommended.

    • Students on the GIS, GMS, & GHS campuses will be required to wear a face covering in line with the Governors order. 

    • Any person with a medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering may present a doctor’s note, to the campus principal, stating such. 

  • Parents must ensure they do not send a child to school on campus if the child has COVID-19 symptoms or is lab-confirmed with COVID-19, and instead should opt to receive remote instruction until the below conditions for re-entry are met.

    • Parents/Guardians will be required to sign an attestation document during the on-line registration which will affirm that you agree to screen your student each day prior to them attending school.

    • Students must complete a self-screening at home prior to coming to school or getting on a school bus. 

    • Students will be required to enter the building at the designated entrances. They will be required to hand sanitize prior to entering the building.  

  • Screening questions will be administered, as needed, in the school clinic. Any student showing symptoms will be assessed by the campus nurse.  If the nurse determines the student should go home, the student must be picked up from school ASAP. If it is determined that a student needs to go home, the student will be isolated to the extent possible in the clinic.

  • Desks in classrooms will be social distanced to the extent possible.

  • Desk will be sanitized after each class change.

  • Parents will not be allowed to enter the campus building to bring outside food to their students.

  • Parents are not allowed to eat with their students.

  • Cafeteria lunches will be pre-packaged.

  • There will be no share table at any campus.

Transportation

  • Parents are encouraged to drop off & pick up their student to the extent possible each day.

    • Please indicate in your survey what your family plans are for transportation.

    • Transportation changes MUST be made the day prior.

  • Buses will operate with windows down to allow air to circulate (weather permitting).

  • Students and staff will be required to use hand sanitizer upon boarding the bus.

  • Buses will be thoroughly cleaned after each bus trip, focusing on high-touch surfaces such as bus seats, steering wheels, knobs, and door handles.

  • Masks will be required for ALL riders, regardless of age, throughout the duration of their time on the bus (Individual exceptions to this requirement will be made for those with a documented medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering. Medical documentation must be provided to the campus principal to qualify for an exception).

  • Siblings will be required to sit together on the bus.

Individuals Confirmed or Suspected with COVID-19 Re-Entry Conditions 

  • Any individuals who themselves either: (a) are lab-confirmed to have COVID-19; or (b) experience the symptoms of COVID-19 must stay at home throughout the infection period, and cannot return to campus until the school system screens the individual to determine any of the below conditions for campus re-entry have been met: 

  • In the case of an individual who was diagnosed with COVID-19, the individual may return to school when all three of the following criteria are met: 

    • at least three days (72 hours) have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications); 

    • the individual has improvement in symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and 

    • at least ten days have passed since symptoms first appeared. 

  • In the case of an individual who has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and who is not evaluated by a medical professional or tested for COVID-19, such individual is assumed to have COVID-19, and the individual may not return to the campus until the individual has completed the same three-step set of criteria listed above. 

  • If the individual has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and wants to return to school before completing the above stay at home period, the individual must either (a) obtain a medical professional’s note clearing the individual for return based on an alternative diagnosis or (b) receive two separate confirmations at least 24 hours apart that they are free of COVID via acute infection tests at an approved COVID-19 testing location found at https://tdem.texas.gov/covid-19/.