EDUCATION Alvin ISD, Pearland ISD updating COVID-19 protocols, working with Brazoria County on monkeypox procedures
NEW HEALTH PLAYBOOK
Alvin and Pearland ISDs updated their COVID-19 protocols for the new school year in coordination with Brazoria County, state and federal health guidelines. Both are working closely with the county in the event monkeypox cases rise.
BY ANDY YANEZ
will continue to report confirmed COVID-19 cases to Brazoria County. At PISD, COVID-19-positive students and staff are required to isolate for a minimum of five days, PISD Health Services Coordinator Monica Reynolds said in a written statement. A negative test is not needed to return to campus at either district, and one must be fever free for at least 24 hours, district officials said. Classroom notification letters will still be sent out when a COVID-19 case is reported at PISD only. In AISD, teachers are required to maintain a Google Classroom so absent students can access assignments, and teachers will work with quarantined students, said Loree Bruton, AISD associate superintendent of federal and special programs. PISD students will be able to complete classroom assignments on Canvas for secondary students
or SeeSaw for elementary students, according to the district. Both districts also upgraded their heating, ventilation and air condition- ing systems by equipping them with virus-killing technology, officials at both districts said. With the concern of monkeypox across the nation and locally, Brazoria County gave each district information on monkeypox prior to the new school year and has committed to field calls from schools to assist with concerns or specific issues, Sbrusch said. If a student or staff member tests positive for monkeypox at either district, the district will notify the county health department and follow its guidance, officials said. “We have increased our surveillance efforts and are performing contact tracing ... so we can educate them on prevention efforts,” Sbrusch said.
The new school year is underway, and Alvin and Pearland ISDs continue to stay in communication with Brazoria County regarding COVID-19 and monkeypox, which, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, is a viral disease with symptoms similar to smallpox. Both districts released their updated health protocol guidelines prior to the new school year, which include continuing to report COVID-19 cases to the county, quarantining after a positive test and cleaning practices. “We hosted another call with the school districts to go over disease reporting requirements, including information on monkeypox and to provide contact information for our department staff,” said Cathy Sbrusch, Brazoria County director of public health services. Both school districts said they
COVID-19 plan
Parents and staff are still required to report positive tests to the districts. The districts report all cases to the Brazoria County Health Department. Students and staff are required to isolate for a minimum of five days. A student or staff member must go at least 24 hours with no fever or other symptoms to return to school.
SOURCES: ALVIN ISD, PEARLAND ISD/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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PEARLAND - FRIENDSWOOD EDITION • SEPTEMBER 2022
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