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July 29, 2021
Dear KIPP Texas Families,
We are so excited to welcome your KIPPsters back from what I hope has been an enjoyable summer break. Our school hallways have been empty, and we are thrilled to fill them with the joy and energy that comes with having our KIPPsters back in our buildings.
We are working hard to prepare our schools, classrooms, and lesson plans to start the year off strong. We have so much to share in these weeks leading up to August 16, our first day of school. You can expect additional communication from me and from your school, but today I want to provide you our health & safety protocols for the 2021-22 school year and the Back-to-School and health and safety information pages on the KIPP Texas website, as well as information on how to opt-in to our statewide communication service (SchoolMessenger).
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KIPP Texas Health & Safety Protocols
The health and safety of our KIPP Texas family–Little and Big KIPPsters included– remains our top priority. We believe that staying vigilant and following local, state, national, and CDC health guidelines is the best way to ensure the safety of our Team & Family, especially in light of the recent rise in COVID cases and the Delta variant.
Please see below for our 2021-22 Health & Safety Guidelines, and please review these safety guidelines with your children:
Face Masks: KIPP Texas believes face masks are one of the best ways we can protect ourselves and those around us from COVID-19 and the Delta variant. While it is not required, KIPP Texas highly recommends all individuals wear a face covering (mask or cloth covering) when inside our buildings and on our campuses when around other KIPPsters.
Social Distancing: We will socially distance to the extent possible in our classrooms, buildings, and offices.
Arrivals: For the 2021-22 school year, wellness surveys and temperature checks are not required for staff or students upon entry onto KIPP Texas campuses or buildings, but we will conduct temperature checks for individuals experiencing symptoms.
Hand Hygiene: KIPP Texas believes that frequent hand washing and sanitizing are among the best safeguards against COVID-19. We will continue offering hand sanitizing stations across KIPP Texas campuses and buildings and strongly encourage frequent handwashing.
COVID Vaccine: KIPP Texas believes the best way of protecting yourself from COVID-19 is by getting the vaccine. Although it is not required, we strongly recommend the vaccination for anyone who is eligible (those 12 years and older).
COVID-Positive Individuals: If a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19, they will be required to quarantine for a period of 10 days per guidance from the CDC. They can return to school or work with a negative test result after 10 days. Little KIPPsters who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to quarantine for 10 days and can return to school when they are fever-free and have improved symptoms.
Close Contact Quarantine: Students who are identified as close contacts of a positive-individual will be highly encouraged to quarantine for seven to 10 days and take a COVID test (seven days with a negative test result, 10 days without a test). Staff will also be required to quarantine for seven days if they are a close contact. The definition of close contact is any individual who was within six feet of a COVID-positive individual for 15 minutes or more during their infectious period (starting two days prior to symptoms beginning or two days prior to their positive test). This quarantine policy does not include any individual who has tested positive for COVID within the last three months or is fully vaccinated.
Cleaning and Disinfecting: All spaces will continue to be cleaned daily. High-touch and high-traffic areas will be disinfected with greater frequency. Where positive COVID-19 cases are reported, special deep cleaning protocols will be implemented.
We have put together this Health & Safety Protocols document for a summary of these protocols and created a “Health and Safety Guidelines” webpage with this same information for easy access. Additionally, because I know that these high-level protocols do not answer every single scenario and question you might have, we are also sharing this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document with answers that we anticipate you’ll need. If you have a question that is not answered here, please enter your question(s) using this form, and we will update our FAQ document with the answer(s).
Please save these protocols as a reference and review them with your Little KIPPster, as well, so that all of our students are prepared for the first day of school on August 16!
Back-to-School Page
As we prepare for the 2021-22 school year in just two weeks, we know having one place to find the key back-to-school information will be helpful. We are excited to share the 2021-22 Back to School page with you. In addition to the information shared by your school, you will find general information about:
- Registration (if you haven’t yet completed it)
- In-Person Learning
- Health and Safety Protocols
- Transportation
- Academic Calendars
- Contact information for your school
- Meals
- And, fun First Day of School signs for your KIPPsters.
Your KIPPster’s school will provide additional school-specific information; so, please make sure you contact your school if you have recently changed your contact information, and please remember to sign up for SchoolMessenger and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.
Sign up for KIPP Texas’ Statewide Communications Service – SchoolMessenger
KIPP Texas uses SchoolMessenger, a communications system to send text messages and e-mails, to keep our Team & Family informed with details and announcements about events, school closings, safety alerts, and more.
Please sign up for this free service (standard message and data rates may apply) by texting “Y” or “YES” to 67587. We know that text messages can be the most effective way to reach our busy parents, and by signing up, we can communicate with you quickly . Once you’re signed up, if you need to opt-out, you can do so at any time by simply replying “Stop” to one of our messages.
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As you read and process this information, and you receive additional details from your KIPPster’s school in the coming days, I want to thank you. Thank you for trusting us and allowing KIPP Texas to partner with you and your children as we walk alongside them on their academic journey. It is an honor and privilege for our entire Team & Family to continue supporting every single one of our KIPPsters’ journeys to and through college, career, and beyond!
Thank you as always for your commitment to our KIPPsters and the safety of our Team & Family.
With gratitude,
sehba
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