Lampasas ISD



Lampasas ISD 2020-2021 Start of School Year FAQ (Updated 7/21/2020)We plan to start school on August 10, 2020 with kids. This will include transportation, food service, etc. Recommended Supplies for Returning to School:A thermometer (to keep at home to check temperature) Several face coverings/masksHand Sanitizer (small bottles)Water bottle (students can fill their own bottle) COVID-19 related symptoms to monitor include but are not limited to:?Fever?≥100.4°?FCough (not due to pre-existing or non-infectious conditions like allergies)Shortness of breathLoss of smellSore throatWeaknessMuscle painPink EyeChills?Please work with your child to learn how to properly wash their hands/use hand sanitizer. Frequent handwashing will be encouraged throughout the school year. Getting the flu shot is also recommended. Will students have to wear a mask even if they are under the age of 10?LISD will encourage the use of masks/face coverings especially while riding buses and during lunch times, etc., but we will not require them unless the district is under a Governor’s executive order. The latest executive order requiring masks exempted children under the age of ten (4th grade and under are exempt). Can students choose remote learning and also participate in athletics?Lampasas will allow students who choose remote instruction to participate in extracurricular activities. Students will still be required to meet all the UIL participation requirements and attendance requirements (verified through engagement each day). If we choose remote learning how will that work for students who have slow internet without access to high speed internet service? If at-home learning is chosen, will the student have to abide by regular school hours, or are they able to work at their own pace?Current guidance and information for remote instruction is provided in these links: to our internet issues in Lampasas, Asynchronous will be the main platform we will use to instruct students remotely. As outlined in the link above, LISD is required to submit an asynchronous plan that must be approved by TEA by 10/1/2020. We anticipate having this plan posted as soon as it has been approved and should be before 10/1/2020. More information will be coming regarding this from our curriculum department. LISD may use the synchronous plan more as better internet access is available in our community. If a teacher or student are exposed, does the class or whole school shut down for the 14 days? And will remote learning be available at that time for the kids? What steps will the school be taking if a student or teacher in my child’s class is exposed to COVID or test positive? What does this mean for the other students who had direct contact with the student or teacher? Does this mean a 14 day quarantine for all students in the class because that’s the recommendation now by top health officials?LISD will follow the guidelines outlined in the link provided by TEA: outlined in the link, LISD will work closely with our Local Health Authority for all COVID exposure incidences. Individuals deemed to be in close contact, as defined by the guidelines in the link, with an individual who has tested positive will be required to quarantine for the time period stipulated. This doesn’t mean the entire campus will have to close off completely. The district will thoroughly disinfect all areas of exposure, and the Local Health Authority will be contacting individuals believed to be in close contact to the confirmed individual. LISD cannot share this information due to the information being protected. LISD is required to send a general letter to all parents on the campus letting them know of a confirmed case on the campus and the timeframe needed to safely disinfect the area. We are planning to have asynchronous learning immediately available for all student absent from school but will specifically have plans outlined for students quarantined due to COVID. This information will be released as part of the required plan we will release once TEA approves it. Can a parent send their children to school and later decide to do remote learning after the first grading period? Yes. As outlined in the TEA guidelines, the student may be required to remain in the remote platform for the grading period in which the student decided to be instructed remotely. Will there be a certain type of electronic device that will be needed or will the school be providing something to use at home? My child will be 2nd gradeLISD currently doesn’t have a certain type of electronic device requirement for students in preK-4th grade. While internet access and an electronic device will be a benefit for students prek-4th, it will not be required in order to meet the asynchronous plan that will be released once approved by TEA prior to 10/1/2020. What if they have doctor appointments when they have class? What will we need to do to have them excused? We are planning to have asynchronous learning immediately available for all students absent from school. If your child doesn’t meet the requirement for being engaged (not working on an assignment, completing an assessment, communication with the teacher on that day) they will be marked absent and will fall under the attendance policies outlined in the Student Handbook. Will there be Zoom meeting or some type of conferences for students who have modifications?Support for students receiving special education services will be individualized based on the needs of the student, family internet access, frequency/type of service, and parent input.? ?Options include, but are not limited to, video conference, phone call, Remind app, and email.??Teachers and staff, will they need to use sick time if they are exposed and forced to quarantine? Will they have paid leave outside of their normal? Procedures have been implemented to address all staffing issues related to COVID-19. Any staff member with exposure related questions should contact their direct supervisor who will notify Mrs. Roberts at the administrative office to outline all procedures for all issues. What resources/support are there for the staff/teachers to help students and families in catching up and remote learning. Our district is implementing "Gap Documents" to help cover any missed instruction from the last 9-weeks of school.? These gap documents are integrated into our teachers’ lesson plans and online materials for the upcoming school year. Will electives for the elementary kids, such as PE, art, computers, and recess still be able to happen?Yes. Additional social distancing measures will be implemented as well as hand sanitizers, daily cleaning, and students will be taken outside for PE and recess as weather permits. With Meet the Teacher night being cancelled, how will our kids know where to go on their first day? Are you going to allow parents to walk their elementary kids to their classrooms on the first day?Our district is encouraging parents to complete all required information in Family Access (open July 22th) as soon as possible.? This will allow our schools to assign teachers and schedules to individual students.? While we are not having a traditional "Meet the Teacher" Night, we will be providing opportunities for incoming Pre-K/Kindergarten students to meet teachers on designated days.? These teachers will be in contact with their students.? We will also have staff available on the first day of school to help direct students to their classrooms.? Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, parents will not be allowed into the school buildings. Screening procedures will be put place for all visitors on all campuses. What will transportation look like? Are there going to be more routes or just putting the same amount of kids on the busses with the windows open?LISD will follow the guidelines outlined in the link provided by TEA: plans to follow the guidelines provided by TEA by providing hand sanitizer, allowing additional air flow (weather permitting), encouraging face masks/coverings, and thoroughly cleaning after each bus route focusing on high-touch surfaces such as bus seats, steering wheels, knobs, and door handles. What is the plan for breakfast and lunch time? Are the children eating in cafeteria or in the rooms? How is food being distributed?LISD is currently awaiting guidelines for the final decision for disturbing food to remote learners. We anticipate and are planning on offering lunch to everyone in the cafeteria. We plan for students to eat in the cafeteria with additional safety guidelines implemented. Will there be planned student field trips this year? At this time, there will be no planned field trips the first semester of school at least. Future field trips and events will be subject to the status of the virus at that time.Will parents still be allowed to come and each lunch with their child?The district is requesting that all visitors to the campuses be restricted at the start of school. Once safety measures have been fully implemented (approximately two weeks), parents will be allowed to visit the campus for lunch but will be required to complete a screening procedure. Do the cleaning supplies LISD uses to sanitize each day meet the standard to kill the Coronavirus?Yes. LISD uses hospital grade disinfectant rated effective at killing the Coronavirus. Previous updated information provided 7/1/2020.Questions:Will parents be able to decide whether their child attends school in person or by way of remote instruction for the 2020-2021 school year?Parents will have the option to select how their student receives instruction. However, please be aware that remote instruction will match the level of rigor used during in-person instruction. If remote learning is chosen, parents may be required to remain in remote learning the entire grading period. Those who select remote instruction are encouraged to submit the questionnaire that has been distributed.What will remote learning look like this fall for students 3rd-12th grade?Remote learning will look different than it did in the Spring of 2020 - spring instruction was not designed to sustain learning at a level needed to be effective for an entire school year. Parents and students should be prepared to attend remote instruction every day, at set times, and follow a daily schedule. They should anticipate assignments that must be completed daily to meet attendance requirements. Student attendance will be recorded, and the State’s rules regarding required attendance will apply. Remote instruction will be delivered in a manner that is sensitive to students of different ages/ability levels.What will remote learning look like this fall for students PreK-2nd grade?Remote learning will look different than it did in the Spring of 2020 - spring instruction was not designed to sustain learning at a level needed to be effective for an entire school year. Students will learn from instruction that is not necessarily being delivered in-person or in real time and may include various forms of digital and online learning (for example, prerecorded video lessons, game-based learning tasks, pre-assigned work, and formative assessments). The biggest difference parents will notice is that the State will require attendance to be recorded daily. Parents should anticipate assignments that must be completed daily to meet attendance recording requirements.What will my student need if we choose for them to participate in remote learning?A learning device, access to the internet, and the student’s ability to structure their time and work without direct supervision. Lampasas ISD will continue to issue learning devices grades 5-12.Will parents be able to change their decision for a student to receive online or face-to-face instruction after the year begins?Yes, at the end of a grading period, campus and district staff will work with families to change learning models should parents request it.What measures will the District take to lessen the spread of infectious disease for those who attend school in person?The list below is not an exhaustive or fully detailed explanation of efforts to stop the spread of infectious disease. Additional details and procedures will be listed as more information is provided by TEA Hand sanitizer will be in every classroom, common area, and entrance to facilities.At the start of the school year, all students will be taught how to appropriately wash their hands and twice daily will participate in supervised hand-washing (for at least 20 seconds).Visitors to campus will be limited and those who do enter a campus will be required to engage in certain screening/health protocols prior to accessing a facility.Medical face-masks/face coverings, although not required at this time, will be strongly encouraged among our staff and students.The District will modify its practices to promote social distancing and avoid group gatherings (for example - adjustments to morning assemblies, Pep rallies, and field trips/special events).All District/campus staff and students will be trained on protocols associated with minimizing the spread of COVID-19. In addition, staff will be trained on the signs and symptoms of COVID-19.Educational posters and signage will be prominently displayed across all District facilities.All District and campus staff will self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before coming on to campus each day.The District will follow all requirements associated with response to an exposure to or diagnosis of a confirmed case of COVID-19.Custodial staff will be cleaning and sanitizing facilities regularly. Particular attention will be focused on cleaning and disinfecting doorknobs, handrails, and other highly used surfaces during the day and at the end of each day. It is likely there will be additional measures that may be required based on recommendations from TEA in the coming weeks.Will the District have a traditional Meet the Teacher Night?The district will not be conducting the traditional Meet the Teacher Night this year at the start of school. LISD is planning to have something for our PreK/Kindergarten students that will be scaled down with less numbers of people congregating. How will my child receive their schedule and know their teacher before school starts?Since the district will not have a traditional meet the teacher night, parents will need to sign up for Family Access in order to view their child’s schedule and teacher. Family Access will open July 22, 2020 for parents to update their information and receive a copy of their student’s schedule. There will be a link on our website once it’s open. How will the district determine class size?The number of students in the classroom will follow the class-size standards currently in place unless modified by TEA. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.How will transportation work?Our transportation department is currently developing plans for transporting students and reviewing daily disinfecting/cleaning practices on buses. Wearing of facial coverings and the use of hand sanitizer will be strongly encouraged. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.What will the attendance policy be for the District? How will daily attendance be taken?The state has not changed state compulsory attendance requirements at this time. We will continue to seek guidance and information from TEA and share updates as they are received.Will services for students with special needs continue?Yes, special education services will be provided at each campus. As required by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), services are based on the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) Committee decision. The scope and delivery of services may be updated based on state and federal guidelines pertaining to COVID-19.Will schools provide meals to students while they are on remote learning?Yes, the district will continue the meal service program like that used at the end of the last school year or the summer meal program. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.Will students still be able to participate in extra-curricular/co-curricular programs?Leaders of our extra-curricular/co-curricular programs are closely monitoring UIL and TEA guidelines to determine how these programs will be conducted. We are planning to have all UIL events this Fall. While we are awaiting additional guidelines, we have discussed several different options in relation to accommodating full, reduced or even no fan participation depending on any restrictive order by local and state officials. Will there be a STAAR test this year?TEA has communicated that all aspects of the State’s Academic Accountability System, including administration of the STAAR exam, will be in effect for the 2020-2021 school year.What if the number of COVID-19 cases increases in Lampasas County?As with all COVID-19 plans, it is important to note that details may be subject to changes depending on the condition of our local community health as we approach the first day of school. We will continue to communicate with stakeholders often as information becomes available from relevant State and local agencies.Will all teachers return to school this fall?Staff will be expected to return to schools this fall to support both in-person instruction and teacher directed remote instruction. In order to provide in-person and remote instruction and to keep students safely distanced while in-person, we will need all staff to be active contributors to both instructional delivery platforms. The instruction delivered remotely will be at the same level of rigor as delivered in-person.Why does my Yahoo and/or AOL email account not work when I email LISD?Due to security issues in the past with both Yahoo and AOL, the district is no longer able to use these platforms to communicate via email. ................
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