Conroe ISD September 2nd Update – Recap
Conroe ISD Family,
I hope you and your loved ones find time to rest and enjoy this long, holiday weekend. Anyone unable to view the YouTube update last night may find the outline below helpful. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the campus with questions. We look forward to seeing your students on Tuesday for another great week of learning.
Sincerely,
Dr. Curtis Null, Superintendent
- 04:45 – Welcome
- 12:05 – Our Current District Stats
- 13:15 – Operations During COVID
- 15:55 – Kindness and Actions
- 18:05 – Coming Together Because School is Worth It
- 21:10 – Roadmap to Remaining Open Webpage
- 21:30 – COVID-19 Impact Dashboard Walkthrough
- 21:45 – Number and Percentage of Active Employee and Student Cases
- 22:20 – What positive cases are counted in Conroe ISD?
- 25:30 – Isolated by Day Chart
- 27:45 – Data by Campus
- 29:00 – Substitute Fill Rate
- 29:35 – Student Attendance Chart
- Any absence related to COVID-19 is an excused absence.
- 32:25 – COVID-19 Safety Alert Levels Chart Overview
- Conroe ISD will remain at Level 4 until we are no longer able to staff a building.
- What would a Level 5 closure involve?
- 34:00 – COVID-19 Testing
- Capacity doubled to approximately 240 tests per day.
- Free for employees and students
- 34:50 – NEW COVID-19 Positive Self-Report Online for Parents
- 37:15 – Advocating for Our District
- 38:55 – Legislation & TEA Updates
- 39:05 – Senate Bill 15 provides that learning can go virtual in the event of campus or District closures.
- 40:15 – Any CISD student in the same household with a positive individual is required to quarantine for 10 days after the date of last exposure with the positive individual.
- 41:50 – Masks: No mandate as long as the Governor’s Orders stand. If there are changes, it will be a School Board decision.
- 47:00 – Mitigation Strategies: e-misting, sanitation stations, COVID-19 testing capacity, air purification systems
- 51:10 – Questions:
- 51:25 – Can masks be required? No
- 51:40 – Are we cleaning at same level as last year? Yes
- 52:05 – Are we social distancing? Buildings have more students than last year, and campuses are doing what they are able to do.
- 52:40 – Why isn’t Conroe ISD following the same protocols from last year? The guidance from TEA and the State have changed.
- 53:45 – Can parents ask teachers to remind their child to wear a mask? Yes. Parents are welcome to communicate directly with the teachers. Teachers will remind and encourage the students as they are able.
- 54:40 – Absences and Notifications
- If a student is absent more than 90% of the time due to COVID-19, will they fail their course? No. Campuses will work with families. Any absence related to COVID-19 is an excused absence.
- Why is there such a large difference between the number of suspected cases and the number of students not in attendance? Students are absent for a variety of reasons. Some families may be keeping their students home to quarantine.
- 01:00:10 – Transportation and Bus Delays
- Buses may be delayed due to a variety of factors including the growth of our District and absences due to COVID-19.
- All routes are able to be covered by air-conditioned buses.
- 01:04:20 – Virtual Learning
- Once signed by the Governor, Senate Bill 15 will allow for a virtual school. Conroe ISD will look to add this for the 2022-2023 school year.
- Why can’t students access all curriculum virtually when they are out for COVID-19? Managing virtual and in-person instruction is too much to ask of our teachers and is not permissible by law. Teachers may choose to upload assignments if that’s their instructional preference.
- Does Senate Bill 15 change our virtual program for this year? No
- 01:07:50 – Employees
- 01:09:05 – Three additional leave days provided to employees for a total of 10 for this year. The situation will continue to be monitored at the District level.
- 01:09:50 – Employees will receive a $500 retention stipend on their October 1 paycheck.
- 01:10:35 – Substitutes
- Pay rates were increased last year and continue at those levels for 2021-2022.
Current subs are encouraged to pick up jobs, especially on Mondays and Fridays where there is premium pay.
- Pay rates were increased last year and continue at those levels for 2021-2022.
- 01:12:10 – Vaccines
- All individuals are encouraged to talk to their health care provider about the COVID-19 vaccine and if it’s the right choice for them.
- 01:13:30 – There is no COVID-19 vaccination mandate for teachers, employees, or students.
- 01:14:40 – Quarantine
- With the change in quarantine guidance from TEA, will students have to quarantine if a close contact at school? No. The TEA change applies only to household close contacts. Any CISD student in the same household with a positive individual is required to quarantine for 10 days after the date of last exposure with the positive individual.