Frequently Asked Questions

School systems must require teachers and staff to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before coming onto campus each day. Parents must ensure they do not send a child to school on campus if the child has COVID-19 symptoms or is test-confirmed with COVID-19. 

School systems must notify their local health department if an individual who has been in a school is test-confirmed to have COVID-19. School systems must close off areas that are heavily used by the individual with the test-confirmed case of COVID-19 (student, teacher, or staff) until the non-porous surfaces in those areas can be disinfected, unless more than 3 days have passed since that person was on campus. School systems must notify all teachers, staff, and families of all students in a school if a test-confirmed COVID-19 case is identified among students, teachers, or staff who participate in any on-campus activities. 

School systems must rely on health and hygiene practices, including the use of hand sanitizer and/or hand washing stations with soap and water.  Schools must comply with the governor’s executive order regarding the wearing of masks. School systems may require the use of masks by adults and students for whom it is developmentally appropriate in instances where masks are not mandated by the governor’s executive order. MISD School Board adopted the Health and Safety Summary Plan on July 27th, 2020. This plan requires masks or face coverings for all staff and for students in grades K-12.

According to the MISD Health & Safety Summary Plan to Mitigate COVID19 Spread in Schools, all staff, visitors, and K-12 students are required to wear a mask when on campus or have a medically-exempt approved mask waiver.
 
If the student refuses to wear the mask or wear it correctly, the following protocols will be followed: 

• Verbal correction by the teacher
• Conference with the student by an Administrator
• Conference with the student by an Administrator with a Parent Phone Call 
• ISS for the remainder of the current school day if compliance is refused 
• If the behavior continues over multiple days, virtual Instruction for Health-Related Operational Reasons will be required for the remainder of the grading period. 

In compliance with guidance from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), a school district can, for health-related operational reasons, require a student to participate in virtual instruction when the student refuses to comply with TEA and/or MISD PPE requirements while attending on-campus, face-to-face instruction.
 

Consistent with school notification requirements for other communicable diseases, and consistent with legal confidentiality requirements, schools must notify all teachers, staff, and families of all students in a school if a test-confirmed COVID-19 case is identified among students, teachers or staff who participate in any on campus activities. MISD has developed a COVID Dashboard to communicate all active and recovered cases on campuses. 

Any individuals who themselves either: (a) are test-confirmed to have COVID-19; or (b) experience the symptoms of COVID-19 (listed below) 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: o 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: i. at least one day (24 hours) have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications); ii. the individual has improvement in symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and iii. at least ten days have passed since symptoms first appeared. o 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. o 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) obtain an acute infection test (at a physician’s office, an approved testing location, or other site) that comes back negative for COVID-19. (updated by TEA 8/27/20)

These situations will be addressed on a case-by-case basis in accordance with MISD Board Policy and the law.  Depending on the circumstances, an employee may be entitled to leave under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA), which is limited to a total of 10 days between April 1 and December 31, 2020 for paid leave.  An employee is entitled to take paid leave (up to $511 per day or $5,111 in total) under the EPSLA if the employee provides  doctors documentation and is unable to work because the employee: 1) Is subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19, 2) Has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19, 3) Is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis. An employee is also eligible for paid leave under the EPSLA (up to $200 per day or $2,000 in total) if leave is taken because the employee 4) Is caring for an individual who is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19 or has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19, 5) Is caring for his or her child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) due to COVID-19 related reasons. Any days beyond the 10 days would require the employee to use any available leave. Doctors documentation is required for any medical leave. The employee could possibly be eligible for Family and Medical Leave (FML) or Expanded Family Medical Leave (EFML) depending on an employee’s eligibility and/or prior use of Family and Medical Leave (FML).

No. The school nurses will determine who was in “close contact”, as narrowly defined by public health agencies and the Texas Education Agency, and those students/staff would be considered as needing to follow the safety protocol for exposure. If an individual who has been in a school is test-confirmed to have COVID-19, the school must notify its local health department, in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations, including confidentiality requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Schools must close off areas that are heavily used by the individual with the test-confirmed case (student, teacher, or staff) until the non-porous surfaces in those areas can be disinfected, unless more than 7 days have already passed since that person was on campus. Consistent with school notification requirements for other communicable diseases, and consistent with legal confidentiality requirements, schools must notify all teachers, staff, and families of all students in a school if a test-confirmed COVID-19 case is identified among students, teachers or staff who participate in any on campus activities.

Texas public schools are under the guidance of the Texas Education Agency for “close contact”.  Parents may opt to have their students receive remote instruction if their child has had “close contact” with an individual who is test-confirmed with COVID-19 until the 14-day incubation period has passed. School systems may consider screening students for COVID-19 as well. Districts will be allowed to temporarily close a campus if a threshold of active-positive cases for up to no more than 5 consecutive days. 

As part of the self-screening process, staff must report to the school system if they have had close contact, by TEA definition, with an individual who is test-confirmed with COVID-19, and, if so, must remain off campus until the 14-day incubation period has passed.

MISD has sent out an interest survey to current substitutes to gauge interest in a full time substitute position. We have numerous people interested in this opportunity.

Yes, please view the section on Masks and Face Coverings for additional information. 

 EPA and FDA approved Diversey Alpha HP - 67 Disinfectant

Click here to view more information about the product. 

Per current TEA Guidelines, Identifying Possible COVID-19 Cases on Campus:

• Schools must immediately separate any student who shows COVID-19 symptoms while at school until the student can be picked up by a parent or guardian.
• Schools should clean the areas used by the individual who shows COVID-19 symptoms while at school (student, teacher, or staff) as soon as is feasible.
• Students who report feeling feverish should be given an immediate temperature check to determine if they are symptomatic for COVID-19.

In addition, per TEA Guidelines, Required Actions if Individuals with Test-Confirmed Cases Have Been in a School: 

• If an individual who has been in a school is test-confirmed to have COVID-19, the school must notify its local health department, in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations, including confidentiality requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
• Schools must close off areas that are heavily used by the individual with the test-confirmed case (student, teacher, or staff) until the non-porous surfaces in those areas can be disinfected, unless more than 3 days have already passed since that person was on campus.
• Consistent with school notification requirements for other communicable diseases, and consistent with legal confidentiality requirements, schools must notify all teachers, staff, and families of all students in a school if a test-confirmed COVID-19 case is identified among students, teachers or staff who participate on any on campus activities.

The District is currently working with our local health authorities from the Task Force on thresholds that would constitute a shutdown. Currently, TEA allows a district to shut down for no more than 5 consecutive days. 
 

TEA is operating under the Governor’s current Executive Order regarding masks. TEA does allow school districts to require mask orders that exceed the Governor’s order. On July 27, 2020, the MISD School Board adopted the MISD Health and Safety Plan that includes the wearing of masks or face coverings for all staff and for students in Grades K-12. MISD does have a specific set of mask removal protocols that could be allowed for a specific instructional activity outside of food consumption and physical exercise. If masks are removed for an approved activity, other social distancing mitigation efforts are required. 

View Executive Order GA 29 

The Governor's Order GA-29 states that masks are required for ages 10 and up. TEA requires districts, at a minimum, to enforce the Governor’s Order GA-29. In addition to the executive order, TEA allows school systems to require the use of masks beyond the ages within that order.  Our MISD Health & Safety Plan was adopted by our School Board on July 27, 2020 and has been posted on our website since that time. Under the guidance of our local medical advisory team and the Ellis County Health Authority, which are all part of our School Reentry Task Force, it was recommended to require masks or face coverings from Kinder-12th grade. There has been a great deal of discussion about this with the medical professionals we collaborated with over several weeks as we prepared to make final decisions this summer. As you can imagine, we are responsible for the safety of not only the students in our buildings, but also the adults that serve our students AND the families they all go home to each day. In addition, the Texas Education Agency aligned their definition of “close contact” with that of the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, according to the documentation we receive from TEA. That definition of close contact is what is used when we have a test-confirmed case on campus for contact tracing. Any and all mitigation efforts, such as, masks, face coverings, plexiglass dividers, and social distancing, that we have in place will help determine whether or not a student, group of students, and/or staff are deemed “close contact” and what we will have to do from there.

The Governor’s Order is still in effect and we are not a place to revisit any of the COVID mitigation requirements at this time. In mid-September, we contacted our Ellis County Health Authority and they continue to stand by their strong recommendation of what we have implemented in MISD in regards to the entire health and safety plan, including masks. We will revisit any of our COVID mitigation requirements based on the guidance from our local and county health authority if and when the Governor lifts his order, GA-29, or if the Health Authority were to come to us and recommend a change for ages not included in the Governor’s order. We would take any recommendations from the local and county health authority back to our original Reentry Task Force so they are aware of any potential changes. This Reentry task force has 86 members on it, including district level staff, campus level staff, parents, community, and medical advisory. We would then communicate any recommended changes with our Board. A full list of the Task Force Membership can be found on our website under the Back to School 2020 section. All in all, we continue to follow the health and safety plan protocols as adopted on July 27.

GA-29 provides that the Texas Division of Emergency Management can promulgate criteria for a county to be exempt from the face-covering requirement in GA-29. The TDEM has promulgated the following criteria in order for a county to be exempt:

• The county must have 20 or less active COVID-19 cases, and

• The county judge of a county with 20 or less active cases must submit an exemption form affirmatively opting out.

With that TDEM criteria, being exempt from mask requirements is more than just the county dropping to fewer than 20 active cases. 

 As mentioned earlier, Midlothian ISD will continue to follow the GA-29 order, as required by the state and the Texas Education Agency. In addition to the executive order, TEA allows school systems to require the use of masks above and beyond GA-29 based on additional recommendations. Any recommended changes to the MISD health and safety adopted protocols would only be made after additional collaboration and guidance with our local medical advisory and Ellis County Health Authority. Once again, we are tasked with the responsibility for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 for not only our students, but also the adults that serve our students AND the families they all go home to each day.

The return-to-school protocol for COVID requires many more components than a normal return-to-school protocol when a child is sent home due to illness. 

1. 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:

   1. at least one day (24 hours) have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications);

   2. PER UIL: In addition to the criteria and processes described above, a student who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 must receive clearance from a physician prior to returning to participation in UIL marching band or athletics activities. A form will be required for any UIL Marching Band or Athletic participant to return to play after a test-confirmed positive COVID19 case. 

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

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

2. 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.

   1. 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)  obtain an acute infection test (at a physician’s office, an approved testing location, or other site) that comes back negative for COVID-19.

In the case of asymptomatic individuals who are test-confirmed with COVID-19, the infectious period is defined as two days prior to the confirming lab test and continuing for 10 days following the confirming lab test.