How safe is your kid’s class? Tarrant schools struggle to meet all COVID guidelines
The bell rang at 3:45 p.m. and in a few minutes, hundreds of students began to stream out of Keller Middle School. Most wore masks and kept to themselves as they hurried to catch their ride or waited in socially distant lines to catch the school bus.
The Keller school district opened its doors Aug. 26 for in-person-learning. Less than half, or about 15,000 of the district’s more than 35,000 students, opted to come back to class. Nine have tested positive for COVID-19 in eight schools.
“I still think it’s wonderful that children are back in school,” said Stacy Harris on Wednesday. She has two children at Florence Elementary. “I think the district is doing a good job and virtual learning was a nightmare.”
At least six more Fort Worth area school districts return for in-person-learning Tuesday. Like Keller, they will be opening their doors at a medium risk level based on their re-entry plans, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The safety plans follow CDC and Tarrant County Public Health guidelines. But not all schools will be able to put in place all recommendations because of campus design and classroom sizes, according to a survey of 16 districts by the Star-Telegram.
Diana Cervantes, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at UNT Health Science Center, said it will be impossible for school districts to have a one-size-fits-all approach to safety.
“Each family’s going to have to weigh out all of the pros and cons because there are some children who do need to be in class.” Cervantes said. “Parents have to take into consideration their household’s and children’s specific learning needs and not focus so much on the convenience factor because sometimes parents just want to get the kids out of the house.”
For example, some schools will place students in small groups and alternate or stagger schedules. And while all schools will regularly clean and disinfect classrooms, those responsible for the sanitizing vary.
Most districts are also leaving it up to students and staff members to choose a face mask of their liking. Azle was the only district of those surveyed that bought gaiters for all students and staff. A study by Duke University in August found that gaiters provide very little protection from COVID-19. Azle ISD officials said they ordered the customized gaiters before the study came out and will have disposable and cloth masks available at all campuses.
Medium Risk Level
At least 10 of the 16 public school districts will be using a hybrid learning model, with some students in classrooms and others at home. Seven of these districts, Grapevine-Colleyville, Azle, Birdville, Keller, Mansfield, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw and Hurst-Euless-Bedford, said 50% to 75% of their students will be returning to school in person.
The Centers for Disease Control rates the hybrid learning model as “medium risk,” the middle of five risks levels.
Fort Worth will be operating at the lowest risk level, with virtual-only classes for the first four weeks. County Health data show many Fort Worth schools are in neighborhoods with more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents.
On Thursday, the Tarrant County Public Health department launched a “COVID-19 school dashboard” that shows the number of infections at individual schools.
“The new dashboard, along with our existing education guidance, is designed to help our school leadership and parents understand their local COVID-19 infection rates so they can make the best decisions for their children,” said Director Vinny Taneja. “Right now, the health status of many of the school zones has improved to a point where a hybrid learning model may be appropriate.”
Schools at a medium risk level must require face masks, proper hygiene and follow social distancing guidelines as recommended by the CDC. They must also reduce class sizes and apply rigorous cleaning procedures. Groups of teachers and students should not mix.
Two-thirds of the districts surveyed said they will be grouping students and alternating or staggering schedules. But only 14% said they not mix groups of students.
Meagan Overman, a spokesperson with Eagle Mountain-Saginaw, said these measures vary from campus to campus depending on layout and the schools’ class schedules.
“Elementary students will remain in ‘family’ cohorts and teachers will transition to them,” she wrote via email.
“Middle and high school students will continue to follow their bell schedule but measures have been implemented such as walking on the right side of the hallways during passing periods, staggered release for passing periods, assigned entrances/exits to minimize contact during arrival and dismissal, extended lunch times to manage occupancy in cafeterias, etc,” she added.
Cleaning and Disinfecting
The schools must also practice regularly scheduled cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched areas such as doorknobs, light switches, countertops and sink handles.
Even though the virus is thought to spread mainly from person to person, it may also spread by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your own mouth, nose, or your eyes. According to the CDC, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can be reduced and killed from surfaces or objects if the right products are used correctly to clean and disinfect them.
All school districts surveyed said custodians will be primarily responsible for disinfecting frequently touched areas multiple times a day. Azle, Grapevine-Colleyville, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Hurst-Euless-Bedford, and Mansfield said students and teachers will also be responsible for helping clean frequently touched areas.
Hope Boyd, a Mansfield school district spokesperson, wrote in an email that every classroom and office will have disinfectant for employees and students to use on high-touch areas throughout the school day.
The CDC recommends that cleaning and disinfection products should not be used by children, and staff should ensure that there is adequate ventilation when using the products to prevent children or themselves from inhaling toxic fumes.
Kara Waddell, head of Child Care Associates, which runs 24 Head Start campuses throughout the county, said teachers in early learning have always played a role in cleaning and disinfecting. The organization partners with charter schools and public school districts including Fort Worth, Lake Worth and Everman.
“Early ed teachers already help clean little learner’s hands and disinfect toys, play areas and they disinfect tables,” Waddell said. “That’s just part of the job description.”
All districts surveyed said they will provide hygiene training for students and staff. Most districts will also train teachers and staff about the guidelines and procedures recommended by the CDC.
“As hard as everyone is working, we may not get it right on Day One. There are going to be additional improvements and changes and recommendations that we need to learn from,” Waddell said. “But we feel comfortable with the many uncertainties and changing nature of the situation because we know that being open for children is critical.”
Staff at higher risk
A study by Kaiser Health shows one in four teachers are at an increased risk of serious illness if infected with coronavirus. As of Wednesday, three district employees at Keller have tested positive for COVID-19.
“This percentage is the same as the one we found for workers overall; the challenge for school systems and for teachers in particular is the sheer volume of traffic and tight quarters in many school environments, which may make social distancing a significant challenge in many settings,” the study reads.
As many as 40% of those infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic, according to the CDC. The latest available data indicates that while children who are infected with COVID-19 are more likely to be asymptomatic and less likely to experience severe disease, they are capable of transmitting to both children and adults.
First day of school photos published on Keller ISD’s Twitter page show all teachers and the majority of students wearing masks in their classrooms. Many desks had clear plastic dividers and most of the middle and high school students were practicing social distancing in photos of them being dismissed for the day.
