While the district will still notify all students who are in a class with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, it will not notify “close contacts” anymore, the newsletter stated. Close contacts are defined as those who were within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes of a person who has COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the newsletter, contact tracing “was necessary due to the mandatory quarantine” during the 2020-21 school year and “a quicker and clearer process” because of required masking and social distancing policies.
“Currently, GCISD nurses are spending a significant amount of time on contact tracing, which can take anywhere from several hours to several days,” the newsletter stated. “This delays the notification of a potential contact due to the more labor-intensive tracing that is required.”
The policy change became effective Sept. 29, according to the newsletter.
“A campuswide notification will still be sent for a confirmed case on the campus,” the newsletter stated.
