Austin ISD issued the following announcement.
Top Story: Cases in Travis County
Thank you Austin ISD for your diligence following the health and safety measures necessary to keep our communities safe. We’ve seen the effectiveness of our protocols and are happy to report that at the close of the fourth week of on-campus instruction, we have had no clusters or evidence of spread in our schools. We encourage you and your family to keep these practices up—both in and out of our school spaces—so our students may continue to learn in the environment that best meets their needs and works for families.
That being said, we know that news of a rise in COVID-19 cases across the nation has the potential to affect our campuses. We are in close communication with our local health officials and we want to assure you we are prepared to pivot as needed based on the guidance we receive. While we are currently in stage three according to Austin Public Health COVID-19 Risk-Based Guidelines, we want to be sure we have plans in place in the event that we enter back into stage four. Some of ways we’ve prepared include:
- Austin ISD’s curriculum was designed to be compatible with an on-campus or remote learning setting. This means students will receive consistent instruction regardless if they are engaged in on campus or remote learning.
- District and campus leadership are working together to determine how to prioritize students for on-campus learning in the event that we are advised to begin limiting the number of students on campus.
- As a community we can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 by consistently wearing masks when in public, frequently washing or sanitizing hands, self monitoring temperature before coming to school, and staying home whenever possible. Increased spread in the community does not have to mean increased spread in our schools if we remain vigilant.
Daily Dashboard Updates
As part of our commitment to keeping you informed, we’ve made two key changes to our the COVID-19 dashboard.
- Data is now available by every AISD campus, Central Office and other facilities.
- The dashboard will now be updated daily instead of weekly.
The City of Austin voted to continue providing meals to parents and caregivers through the end of December. To make this possible, an additional $1.5 million was granted to the AISD Crisis Support Fund. With these funds, the school district can partner with local restaurants to keep Austin fed. Restaurants include Easy Tiger, Henbit and Good Work Austin's L'oca d'Oro, Colleen's Kitchen, Contigo and Rosedale Kitchen and Bar.
Since May, restaurant partners have provided 582,662 meals for caregivers.
Read more about the Caregiver Meals program on our website, and see available sites at the Open for Learning Meals page.
Physical Activity, Gym Space and Playscapes
We care greatly about our students physical health and know that all students benefit when they can exercise and spend time outdoors. Our teachers are careful to balance the needs of social distancing and the benefits of running, playing and exercising. The following practices have been implemented across the district:
- Masks should be worn at all times whether indoors or outdoors.
- Staff should identify a special location for students for whom it becomes necessary to temporarily remove their mask when winded.
- Gym space will be used as principals deem best for the campus
- If used for physical education, hand sanitizing stations will be placed at every entrance and equipment will be disinfected between classes
- Playscapes will be open for use by students.
- Hands will be washed or sanitized before and after use.
- Playscapes will be regularly disinfected.
AISD students, families and team members can now check the status of many of our systems including BLEND, Seesaw, AISD Portal and more. Visit https://www.austinisd.org/technology/status to view the latest status updates or contact tech support.
Austin ISD Board Approves Public Participation Policy Update
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees approved a policy update to begin accepting general public comment during Board information sessions starting the Nov. 2 meeting.
The policy was updated at the Oct. 26 Regular Voting Meeting.
Details on general public comment and public testimony:
General Public Comment
- Board meeting: Board Information Sessions.
- Date: Second Monday of the month, unless otherwise indicated*.
- Sign-up window: 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. day of the meeting .
- Method: Pre-recorded over the phone.
- Duration: One minute.
- Number of Speakers: 60 Speakers (10 speakers on waiting list).
- Eligible Topics: Unrestricted.
- Board meeting: Regular Voting Meetings.
- Date: Fourth Monday of the month, unless otherwise indicated.
- Sign-up window: 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. day of the meeting.
- Method: In-person (pre-recorded over the phone during COVID-19 precautions).
- Duration: One minute.
- Number of Speakers: Unlimited.
- Eligible Topics: Action Items (consent agenda items, items up for a separate vote, public hearing items).
*The November Board Information Session will take place Nov. 2 due to calendar adjustments made to accommodate the Thanksgiving holiday.
More Great Information
Flu Shots to be distributed at Boo the Flu event.
A message from Dr. Elizalde to staff about accommodations.
Did you know? You can keep up with district information by tuning into our weekly TV program AISD in 3.
Friendly Reminders
- Download the AISD App today for iPhone and Android.
- Learn about what counts as engagement for attendance purposes during remote learning.
- Visit Austin ISD’s website focused on providing information and resources for Community Learning Spaces.
- BLEND is Austin ISD’s online learning platform. Tutorials are available in English and Spanish.
- Austin ISD is now offering free seven day meal packs for all local families with children at curbside sites.
Original source can be found here.
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