The district will use undetermined parameters to analyze whether too many or too few students are being removed from class due to circumstances related to the pandemic. Guidance from the Texas Education Agency changed in late September to allow districts to exclude students who live in the same household as a COVID-positive person, per CCISD Chief Communications Officer Elaina Polsen.
The board wanted to, in a target, capture how the district is navigating the pandemic in comparison to state guidelines, President Jay Cunningham said Oct. 14.
“It’s important we get this right on both ends,” Williams said during the Oct. 11 workshop. “We don’t want to underexclude, ... but we also don't want to overexclude.”
The superintendent's target, as approved by the board, is to have 90% of student exclusions fall within district parameters, which are aligned with TEA and Texas Department of State Health Services guidelines.
The district will begin collecting qualitative classroom-, campus- and district-level data from Sept. 20 onward, per documents presented Oct. 11, and likely review it sometime at the start of 2022, Cunningham said.
“Right now, we don't know what that's going to entail for administration,” he said, adding potential data to collect includes hours of instruction time lost, number of quarantines and COVID-19-related incidents recorded by nurses.
Current CCISD guidance indicates anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, as well as anyone presumed positive, must be excluded from work or school for a minimum of 10 days. Presumed positive cases are in people who are actively ill with one or more symptoms related to COVID-19 that are not tied to a pre-existing condition and have a known close contact.
If a student has proof of being fully vaccinated, the student can continue to come to school as long as they are symptom free. The district offers a remote conferencing education option for all grade levels, which can be used for up to 20 days during exclusion periods.
“It’s going to be an ever-moving target, but we wanted to at least capture it,” Cunningham said Oct. 14.
Superintendent targets are meant to promote health, safety and security; literacy development; budget planning; and engaging first-time instruction, per materials presented Oct. 11. Another target includes each secondary student receiving a check-in during the year regarding social and emotional wellness.
The board was provided draft targets in September after starting the process in July, and more quantitative targets were added after board feedback, trustees said. Click here to read more of the 2021-22 targets.
