Keller teachers quarantine after COVID exposure at meeting about going back to school
One of 40 speakers at a Keller Independent School District meeting on Aug. 3 tested positive for COVID-19, possibly exposing parents and teachers, the school district said.
An unknown number of teachers who attended the meeting were asked to quarantine until Aug. 18 because of the exposure, said a teacher who spoke at the meeting and asked to remain anonymous out of fear of repercussions. The teacher told the Star-Telegram only those who took the podium after the infected person were asked to quarantine.
A district spokeswoman said that Keller ISD immediately implemented its contact tracing and cleaning protocols when officials were informed of the positive case.
On Aug. 3, the school board and community members discussed whether kids should go back to classrooms or learn virtually for the start of the school year. The school board required people to attend the meeting in person in order to speak.
Many speakers took off their masks while addressing the board, and the podium and mic were not sanitized in between speakers.
Parents, teachers and community members each had three minutes to address the board about whether they thought it was safe or not for everyone to return to in-person learning given the growing cases of COVID-19 in Texas and Tarrant County.
The teacher who spoke to the Star-Telegram said that the district contacted affected teachers on Friday about the positive COVID-19 case, and informed them they would need to quarantine. The teacher has not had symptoms after being exposed to the person who tested positive, but said “every headache, cough, weird sensation gives me pause.”
“Did I do the right thing trying to speak out for my colleagues and students and their families?” the teacher wondered.
The teacher said it was ironic an exposure happened at a meeting about whether or not reopening schools would lead to widespread COVID-19 outbreaks.
“It’s upsetting because this unfortunately will be the norm,” the teacher said. “By the time it is known to the district, if reported, I feel it will not be disseminated in a timely manner to act before further potential spread.”
At the meeting, many teachers said while they want to go back to school, they did not want to risk their lives or their families’ lives when they could teach children virtually. Some parents agreed, while others said their children would suffer socially and education-wise if they were required to learn online.
After the three-hour emergency meeting, the school board unanimously voted to reopen schools a week later than they initially planned, and parents can choose between in-person learning or virtual learning. School is set to start on Aug. 26.
Hudson Huff, executive director of facility services, said at the meeting that the district has about 218,000 disposable masks, hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies for teachers. The district can install Plexiglass in specific spaces and post signs encouraging the use of masks on campus, he said. Disinfecting wands can be used to sanitize classrooms at the end of the school day.
