2021-22
Disease Mitigation Guidelines
Disease Mitigation Guidelines apply to all Frisco ISD students and staff, including those who have previously tested positive or been vaccinated for COVID-19.
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friscoisd.org
Content
Protocols for Screening, Isolation and Quarantine
Student or Staff Displaying COVID-19 Symptoms
Reporting and Notification Protocols
Protocols for Hand Washing/Sanitizing
Hand Washing/Sanitizing Expectations
Protocols for Cleaning and Disinfecting
Additional Cleaning Measures for Covid-19 Positive Cases on Campus
Additional Measures for Disease Mitigation
Protocols for Screening, Isolation and Quarantine
General
All students and staff are required to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms daily and individuals who present with symptoms will be separated and may be sent home.
Definitions
- COVID-19 symptoms - fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea
- Close contact - within 6 feet for a total of approximately 15 minutes throughout the course of a day
- Confirmed case - an individual who has received and reported a positive COVID-19 test to the District
- Infectious period - from 48 hours prior to symptom onset or positive test, if no symptoms, until the individual has completed the applicable quarantine period
- Fever - temperature of 100° Fahrenheit (37.8° Celsius) or higher
Screening Protocols
- Staff are required to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms prior to reporting to work each day.
- Parents/guardians are required to screen their students for COVID-19 symptoms each day prior to sending their student to school.
- Teachers will monitor students and refer to the nurse if symptoms are present.
Isolation Protocols
Student or Staff Displaying COVID-19 Symptoms
If a student or staff member displays symptoms of COVID-19, the school nurse will conduct a clinical evaluation to determine if the symptoms are consistent with COVID-19. Symptoms consistent with COVID-19 is defined as:
- new onset of at least two of the following symptoms: fever or chills, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea OR
- new onset of at least one of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing
If a nurse determines that the student or staff member is displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the individual will be separated from others and sent home to quarantine. Students should be picked up within 30 minutes and no later than 1 hour from the time the campus contacted the student’s parent/guardian.
Other students may be removed from the classroom and taken to an alternate location on campus (e.g. go on a walk outside, move to a different classroom, etc.) so that the classroom can be disinfected.
Quarantine Protocols
Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19, or displayed symptoms consistent with COVID-19 as determined by the school nurse, will be required to quarantine.
- Students with a confirmed case of COVID-19 are required to quarantine until at least 10 days have passed since their symptom onset AND they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications and their other symptoms have improved; or since their positive test if they have no symptoms.
- Staff with a confirmed case of COVID-19 are required to quarantine until at least 5 days have passed since their symptom onset AND they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications and their other symptoms have improved; or since their positive test if they have no symptoms.
- Students with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 must quarantine until the individual’s symptoms have improved and one of the following: 1) at least 10 days have passed since symptom onset; 2) the individual receives a negative test (proof of negative PCR or rapid test required; at-home tests will not be accepted); or 3) a physician identifies the individual’s symptoms as something other than COVID-19 (doctor’s note confirming that the doctor reached an alternative diagnosis required).
- Staff with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 must quarantine until the individual’s symptoms have improved and one of the following: 1) at least 5 days have passed since symptom onset; 2) the individual receives a negative test (proof of negative PCR or rapid test required; at-home tests will not be accepted); or 3) a physician identifies the individual’s symptoms as something other than COVID-19 (doctor’s note confirming that the doctor reached an alternative diagnosis required).
Review these calendar scenarios to see when a quarantined student or staff member can return to school: Student Scenarios / Staff Scenarios
Campus staff who report close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be required to take a rapid COVID-19 test periodically for 5 days post-exposure, with testing on the 5th day recommended, unless they meet one of the following criteria: 1) Have received all recommended vaccine doses, including boosters and additional primary shots for some immunocompromised people; or 2) Was confirmed COVID-19 positive within the last 90 days and has fully recovered. Staff who do not meet one of the above criteria should provide proof of each negative test to their supervisor or will be required to quarantine for 5 days using available leave.
While students are not required to quarantine unless they have tested positive or are displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19, parents may choose to keep their students home as a result of a positive classroom notification. Absences will be excused up to 10 calendar days from the last date the positive individual was on campus.
Reporting and Notification Protocols
Reporting Protocols
- Employees are required to report to their supervisor as soon as possible when they have tested positive for COVID-19.
- Parents are required to report to the campus as soon as possible if their student has tested positive for COVID-19. Parents should contact the school nurse via email or phone call to report a COVID-19 incident.
- All absences related to COVID-19, including those when a student has tested positive or is voluntarily choosing to quarantine due to a classroom notification, should be reported prior to 8:30 a.m. each school day via the official absence reporting form available on each campus website.
Notification Protocols
- Employees and parents of students who were in a classroom or participated in an extracurricular activity with a COVID-19 positive student or staff member will be notified via email of their potential exposure. These notifications will be sent daily as Frisco ISD is informed of positive cases where the individual was on campus during the infectious period.
- Staff at the central level will be notified when there is a positive case in their department.
- The District will maintain COVID-19 case data on the District website. This will include a weekly total of positive cases involving students and campus-based staff from the previous Monday-Sunday when the individual was on campus during the infectious period, as well as a running cumulative total by campus for the 2021-22 school year.
Protocols for Campus Closures
Immediate closure and subsequent reopening of Frisco ISD campuses during periods of elevated disease activity may be necessary throughout the 2021-22 school year in order to maintain healthy school environments for Frisco ISD students and staff.
The necessity for a campus closure will be determined by the illness-related absence rate. If 15% or more of a campus’ student population is absent for two consecutive days as the result of personal illness, the District may close a campus for a minimum of two days for disinfecting and to allow for illness-related absences to subside. The District will reevaluate the situation each evening to determine whether the closure should be extended.
Parents will be notified each evening prior to a school day that their campus is closed. Subsequent decisions to extend the closure or reopen the campus will be communicated each evening prior to a school day.
Protocols for Face Coverings
Although masks are not required, they are suggested for all individuals regardless of vaccination status while on campus or on buses.
Protocols for Campus Visitors
General
Campuses will utilize virtual meeting options to limit campus visitors when possible.
- Individuals proceeding beyond the reception area will be subject to the following guidelines:
- All visitors are required to answer a COVID-19 screening questionnaire when checking in at the front office.
- Virtual meetings will be available when possible. Visitors and staff should utilize large or outdoor meeting spaces where possible and shall maintain physical distancing during all meetings.
Protocols for Hand Washing/Sanitizing
General
Frequent disinfection and hand sanitization will ensure health and wellness of students and staff.
Hand Washing/Sanitizing Expectations
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizer will be available at the main entry to the campus, in classrooms, in the cafeteria and in common areas throughout the campus.
- Students and staff are expected to regularly wash or sanitize their hands.
- Recommendations for hand washing and/or use of FISD-provided hand sanitizer:
- Students can utilize provided hand sanitizer upon entry to classroom and will be provided periodic teacher reminders during the instructional day
- Students will hand wash upon return from outdoors, before eating and following restroom breaks
- Students will utilize provided hand sanitizer upon boarding and exiting school bus
Protocols for Cleaning and Disinfecting
General
Frequent cleaning and disinfecting will promote a healthy learning and work environment for students and staff.
Daily Cleaning
- Each classroom and restroom will be disinfected at the end of each school day using a quaternary disinfectant that is COVID-19-approved by the EPA.
- All high touch areas will be disinfected at the end of each school day . High-touch areas may include, but are not limited to: backs and arms of chairs, desk tops, door handles and 18 inches around those handles.
- The cafeteria will be disinfected between lunch periods.
- Cleaning cloths will be made available for each classroom and common area to maximize room to room cleanliness.
- Staff will be provided access to microfiber towels, gloves and a spray bottle of quaternary disinfectant to periodically clean high-touch areas in classrooms during the school day.
- School buses will be sanitized at the end of each school day with a disinfecting solution.
Additional Cleaning Measures for Covid-19 Positive Cases on Campus
- If a campus reports a confirmed case of COVID-19, quaternary disinfectant, which is recommended for use on the virus that causes COVID-19, will be used to fog and disinfect the campus upon request from a campus principal.
- Custodial staff will fog and disinfect classrooms, restrooms, the athletic indoor turf field, weight room and all additional areas in the entire building.
Additional Measures for Disease Mitigation
General
Additional measures will be taken to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Campus Measures
- Multiple locations of hand sanitizer, tissues, and trash cans will be available in several locations throughout classrooms and common areas to limit student and staff movement.
- Students are encouraged to bring water bottles to school for their personal use.
- To the greatest extent possible, campuses will reduce the number of students in common areas including: hallways during passing periods, pep rallies, morning assemblies, lunches and morning drop off.
- School breakfast will be served “grab-and-go” style, allowing students to eat in the classroom with their classroom cohort.
- Staff will do their best to accommodate parent requests to ensure their student remains socially distanced when possible, but social distancing is not feasible in all situations.
Ventilation
- Frisco ISD facilities are equipped with heating and cooling and ventilation systems that cycle fresh air into the buildings 3-4 times throughout the day. This includes the use of high-grade filters to significantly reduce the number of particulates introduced into occupied spaces.
- Staff will vent school bus windows and roof hatches to maintain air flow while transporting students.
Frisco ISD Disease Mitigation Guidelines • Updated 1/7/2022