Katy ISD's board of trustees officially approved the district's Safe Return to School Plan for the 2021-22 school year on Aug. 30, after several hours of public comment both supporting and condemning the district's move to not implement a mask policy. In the plan, the district outlined five condition stages with their own respective protocols.
According to the district, the condition stage will be determined through district leadership review of each positive case reported and determination of potential virus spread. Stage Five of the plan aims for prevention. This stage indicates there are no confirmed positive cases in the staff or student body. Stage Four focuses on mitigation, indicating one or more positive cases in the district. Stage Three graduates to modified operations, with Stage Two indicating a facility closure and Stage One calling for a district closure. Each campus in the district has it's own stage, and that data is kept up to date on the district's COVID-19 Dashboard on its website.
"It's our right, from a constitutional standpoint, to choose individually—not as a government, not as an institution," Jim Saba said at the Aug. 30 meeting, in favor of keeping masks optional. "We are people. We are parents. We know what's right for our kids. ... We are free people. That's what this country's made up. The CDC is not a lawmaker. They are not guidance, that's only God."
The plan does include preventative steps, such as daily self screenings for both staff and students, as well as social distancing, staying home when sick, and recommending—but not mandating—facial coverings. It also includes notification and isolation protocols. For example, if a student’s classroom or program is exposed, parents and staff of those specific classes or programs will receive a general notification email with an update no later than 5 p.m. on the day the case is reported.
