Students should stay home from school when exhibiting signs or symptoms of an illness, including fever and cough. At this time, we are continuing to follow the communicable disease exclusion criteria currently in place (Texas Education Code Rule § 97.7). Students with a fever (100.0° F or greater) will be sent home from school and may return once fever free for 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medication. Additional information may be found in the Student/Parent Handbook. If your child is ill and in need of medical attention, please contact your healthcare provider. 

Custodial staff are disinfecting all high-touch areas daily (desks, light switches, doorknobs, water fountains, etc.) with chemical disinfectant applied by hand. The chemical disinfectant is a hydrogen peroxide-based solution. Custodial teams are also prepared with electrostatic decontamination applicators that create a microbial barrier around surfaces that can last up to 90 days.

The CDC is recommending people who are well not wear masks. If someone is ill and needs to be around others, the ill person may consider wearing a mask to prevent spreading their germs. If a parent/guardian chooses to have their child wear a mask to school, the student will be allowed to wear the mask. The school will not supply masks or replace a mask if it becomes soiled or torn. Students will be responsible for the management of their own masks if brought to school. Parents/guardians may not request other students to wear masks. Parents/guardians may not supply masks for other students’ use. There may come a time when school nurses will place a mask on a student exhibiting symptoms of communicable illness while they wait to be picked up from school.

School nurses document all clinic visits, including the presence of any symptoms of communicable illness. Each year this information is used to track and respond appropriately during cold and flu season. San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (SAMHD) has guidelines in place requiring the reporting of certain health conditions or symptoms. Health Services monitors this clinic visit information and shares pertinent data with SAMHD, including any identified trends, which may be helpful in the early identification and/or prevention of communicable illness. Additionally, school absence rates are monitored and used by SAMHD to make recommendations.

As a school district, we are prepared to discuss measures to prevent the spread of illness. Many of these actions are discussed and reinforced routinely to prevent or slow the spread of common illnesses, such as the common cold. The following methods are supported by SAMHD and CDC recommendations.

• Communication with parents/guardians as new information becomes available
• Providing alcohol-based hand sanitizer in all district locations
• Hand-washing posters are being placed in all restrooms
• Hand-washing reminders are being given daily during morning announcements
• Communicable illness prevention posters are being placed at all district locations
• Frequent, routine checking of soap and hand sanitizer dispensers in each district location to ensure hand-washing supplies remain available
• Instructing students and staff to remain home when sick
• Instruction and encouragement to cover cough/sneeze, avoid touching eyes/nose/mouth, and wash hands frequently

School nurses document all clinic visits, including the presence of any symptoms of communicable illness. Each year this information is used to track and respond appropriately during cold and flu season. San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (SAMHD) has guidelines in place requiring the reporting of certain health conditions or symptoms. Health Services monitors this clinic visit information and shares pertinent data with SAMHD, including any identified trends, which may be helpful in the early identification and/or prevention of communicable illness. Additionally, school absence rates are monitored and used by SAMHD to make recommendations.

Currently all wall-mounted hand sanitizer dispensers in NEISD have been filled and contain alcohol-based hand sanitizer, which meets the alcohol concentration recommendations of the CDC. Custodial staff are routinely checking both hand sanitizer and soap dispensers to ensure supplies are available for frequent hand-washing.