EDUCATION BRIEFS
News from Round Rock ISD
Students petition district to tighten COVID-19protocols at campuses
Student demands The 1,850 students who signed the petition as of Feb. 2 pointed to several concerns related to COVID-19 safety they wanted to see remedied on campuses.
Student issues:
Student requests:
ROUND ROCK ISD Nearly 2,000 students are calling on Round Rock ISD to enforce tighter COVID-19 protocols or offer a virtual learning option, citing the local rise in cases and staff shortages. A petition demanding the enforce- ment of stronger COVID-19 protocols such as enforced masking; providing KN95 and N95 masks to students; biweekly PCR and rapid testing; testing sites at each high school in the district; and giving all students out- door spaces to eat in all weather has garnered 1,850 signatures as of Feb. 2. The group so far represents 3.82% of the district’s 48,421 students. “We understand the students’ concerns, but we are doing every- thing within our power to mitigate the spread and deal with this current challenge,” said Jenny LaCoste-Ca- puto, RRISD public affairs and com- munications chief, in an interview
with Community Impact Newspaper . “Keeping our schools open is critical for many in our community who depend on resources provided by schools on a daily basis.” Senate Bill 15, which allowed Texas school districts to offer virtual learn- ing and receive average daily atten- dance funding for virtual students, is in effect until Sept. 1, 2023. The bill does not require any district to offer a virtual learning option. In November, RRISD announced that all students would return to in-person learning for the spring semester. As of Jan. 13, 579 teachers, nurses and librarians were absent in RRISD, with 217 positions filled by substi- tutes. This means only about 40% of that day’s absences were covered by substitutes, highlighting the shortage at the district. With their demands unmet, some students walked out of school on
• Close contacts are not being tracked. • District officials are not enforcing the mask mandate. • Students do not have access to recommended masks. • Students do not have access to COVID-19 testing. • There are not enough substitutes to cover teachers who are sick, forcing multiple classes to gather in one space and teachers to give up their conference periods to fill in.
• The district must once again provide contact tracing and notify close contacts. • Enforce the mask mandate. • Provide KN95/N95 masks in schools for every student. • Provide the option for rapid or PCR tests every two weeks for everyone on campus. • Open testing sites at each of the five high schools and two alternative high schools. • Provide outdoor spaces for all students to eat, even when it rains.
SOURCE: ROUND ROCK ISD STUDENT PETITION/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Jan. 20, although it is unclear how many. During an RRISD board of trustees meeting, also on Jan. 20, several of the students who signed the petition addressed the board. Tiernee Pitts, a Cedar Ridge High School senior, asked the board to give serious consideration to student demands.
She said parents and students received an email stating the district was working to combat the surge of COVID-19 cases and “keep the school open.” “In this letter, it was very clear that the situation is being viewed as sustainable when it is in fact not,” Pitts said.
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