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KIPP Texas Families,
We are so excited to welcome our Little KIPPsters back on Wednesday, August 17! As we start the new school year, we want to share some updates to our safety protocols and COVID policies with you.
KIPP Texas Safety Measures
Safety has been a long time priority for us at KIPP. In the wake of Uvalde, we reaffirm our commitment to safety grounded in, recommended, research-backed policies, procedures, and physical safety standards. Over the past several years, in addition to managing our teams to strong front-office procedures, we have invested in physical safety improvements such as the implementation of an Access Control System (ACS) and begun the retrofitting process for many of schools which includes them having lobbies that meet the highest safety bar. In addition to these ongoing efforts, we are glad to announce the following improvements to our safety standards:
- We will require that classroom doors remain locked and closed during instruction.
- We are adding security guards across our campuses to support visitor management.
- We are instituting a perimeter check protocol of three times per day which is above and beyond the state requirement of once per week.
Lastly, we will also be doubling down on our existing procedures:
Exterior Doors
- All exterior doors/gates will be closed and locked, as campus design allows, during the normal course of the school day.
Visitors
- Only visitors on verified official business will be allowed beyond the front desk.
- All visitors, including parents/guardians, must sign in and provide valid photo identification to the front office for verification in our visitor management system and must visibly wear a temporary visitor’s badge at all times during their visit.
Badges
- Any visitors without a visible visitor’s badge will be redirected back to the front office to obtain one. Visitors must report back to the front office at the completion of their visit to sign out.
- All staff will wear a visible staff badge during school operating hours.
Drills
- Drills are regularly conducted throughout the school year to ensure staff and students are prepared to respond in the event of an emergency. During lockdowns (drills or otherwise), all classroom doors are locked.
Staff Support
- Staff will immediately report all concerning behavior, including threats and any physical safety concerns to School Leaders or the next available school leadership team member.
- School leadership and assigned staff members will be present and vigilant during arrival and dismissal times.
- Staff members monitor all open exterior doors during arrival and dismissal. Doors will not remain propped open without a monitor.
- Staff are required to adopt policies and procedures regarding bullying that occurs on school property, on our buses, and cases of cyberbullying. More information on our bullying policy can be found here.
We feel confident that implementing these practices, which exceed state requirements, are the steps in the right direction.
KIPP Texas COVID Policies
While we hoped that COVID was at bay, the virus continues to circulate. We encourage all of our KIPPsters to get the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters before the first day of school if they haven’t already, as the vaccine is now available for everyone who is six months or older. We have updated the KIPP Texas COVID policies as of August 12, 2022. Please see details below as we continue to prioritize the safety of our Big and Little KIPPsters.
MASKS | Over the summer, we have closely monitored the local COVID threat levels across the state and looked to CDC guidance as we plan our COVID protocols for the upcoming school year. Due to recently released Executive Order GA-38 from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) , KIPP Texas strongly recommends all Little and Big KIPPsters wear masks in all KIPP buildings and on/off campus KIPP events and school buses, especially when the region is at High COVID-19 Community Level; masks are required* in healthcare areas.
* When masks are required, they must be medical grade masks or doubled-up cloth masks.
QUARANTINE GUIDELINES | We have also updated our quarantine guidelines for both Little and Big KIPPsters, which you can view in the tables below, based on TEA guidance. You can review their guidance on close contact quarantines here and for symptomatic individuals here.
| Scenario | Quarantine Required? | Earliest Return Date |
|---|---|---|
| Symptomatic Student (both vaccinated and unvaccinated) | Yes | 5 days from date of symptom onset unless the student receives a negative COVID test and symptoms have dissipated (PCR or Rapid). Strongly recommend wearing masks upon return for 5 days. |
| COVID-positive Student (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) | Yes | Date of symptom onset (or test date) + 5 = Last Quarantine Day plus symptoms must be improved and the student must be fever-free for 24 hours. Strongly recommend wearing masks upon return for 5 days. |
| Student lives with COVID-positive individual (both vaccinated and unvaccinated) | No, strongly recommended for 5 days and close monitoring for symptoms TEA does not allow us to mandate quarantine for student close contacts. | N/A |
| Possible Exposure … (both vaccinated and unvaccinated) | No, strongly recommended for 5 days and close monitoring for symptoms TEA does not allow us to mandate quarantine for student close contacts. | N/A |
I would also like to remind our families that a KIPP Texas student or family can quickly and anonymously report any suspicious activity, bullying, or other student-related issues to a school administrator by submitting an Anonymous Alert report.
We will do our best to keep COVID at bay so that we keep as many of our KIPPsters healthy and bringing joy in our schools!
Monkeypox
If you suspect Monkeypox, please contact your child’s school nurse or clinic coordinator and go see a medical provider for external testing. If you or your child have monkeypox, please await clearance from your doctor before returning to school.
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Thank you for reading through this long and important update thoroughly. I am thrilled to welcome our Little KIPPsters safely back on campus with you next week!
With Gratitude,
Sehba Ali
KIPP Texas CEO
