Texas Education Agency Issues Guidelines for Reopening Schools

The Texas Education Agency released guidelines for reopening schools in the state on Tuesday. The guidelines addresses on-campus and virtual instruction, screening processes, responding to confirmed COVID-19 cases, health and hygiene practices and more.

School districts must offer daily on-campus instruction for all students who wishes to attend, but any parent may request for their child to receive virtual instruction from any school that offers such instruction.

Under the new guidelines, students and teachers will be required to wear masks that is consistent with Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order when they begin in-person classes. At the moment, masks are required in counties with more than 20 reported COVID-19 cases. Abbott’s order doesn’t apply to children under 10 years old. Schools can mandate students and teachers wear masks but they do not have to, education Commissioner Mike Morath told the Texas Tribune.

Teachers and staffs should self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms and must report to the school system if they have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19.

The guidelines offers “operational considerations” and suggests that schools “should attempt” to have hand sanitizer or hand washing stations with soap and water at each entrance and every classroom. It also notes that campuses “should institute more frequent cleaning practices” and whenever possible, to open windows to allow more air flow.

The Texas State Teachers Association criticized TEA’s guidelines for not providing “more explicit guidance” and not including teachers and parents in the decision-making process. "Teachers who fear they will compromise their health by returning to campus should have the choice of teaching remotely, and it doesn't look like TEA guidelines will require that," Clay Robison, a spokesperson for TSTA told the Texas Tribune.

The guidelines require school districts to post summaries of their COVID-19 plans for the public a week before in-person classes begin. Read more on the guidelines here.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Breaks Ground on New Office Building

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced that construction has begun on a new office building for its campus Research Park, according to a news release. The university partnered with Hoar Construction on the 34,740-square-foot Center for Aerospace Technology II (CAT II), which will be used for research and lab purposes.

  • Kimball Showroom Earns WELL Certified Platinum Distinction

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced that its showroom in New York City has achieved WELL Certification at the Platinum level as dictated by the International WELL Building Institute, according to a news release. The certification demonstrates a continuing commitment to creating environments that promote health, well-being, and productivity.

  • Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine has been recognized with an EDS 2025 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • i-PRO, NovoTrax Partner for New School Emergency Response Solution

    i-PRO Americas, Inc., which manufactures edge computing cameras, recently announced a partnership with NovoTrax, provider of end-to-end life safety and mass notification solutions, to address gaps in emergency response workflows at K–12 schools, according to a news release.

Digital Edition