Snyder ISD will ensure continuity of services, including but not limited to services to address students' academic needs and students' and staff social, emotional, mental health, and other needs, which may include student health and food services by continuing to employ existing staff and provide intervention due to academic loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Snyder ISD invited feedback from staff, students, parents, families, community, and business members on the district’s plan for funds available to the district from the American Rescue Plan. ESSER Funding | Call for Community Input and Ideas (Video and Survey)ESSER Funding | Call for Community Input and Ideas (Video and Survey)

These protocols and guidelines were modified on 9/3/2021 based on guidance from the Texas Education Agency.

Attendance rules in the student handbook state a doctor’s note is required if your child will be absent from school for more than five days. If your child is absent for any reason, it is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to notify the child’s school.   Although virtual school is not an option, many assignments are posted on Schoology, allowing your child to complete assignments during a temporary absence. Please contact your child's teacher if you have coursework questions.  

Students who have not tested positive or identified as a close contact to a positive COVID-19 case are expected to attend school every day to comply with the State of Texas compulsory attendance laws. Students that are not attending school due to the parent’s general concern about COVID-19 will be counted as absent and all truancy laws will be enforced. Dr. Bland sent a letter on ParentSquare on September 8, 2021 addressing this issue.

Response to Illness & Positive COVID-19

If my child tests positive for COVID-19, can they come to school? 

Positive students and staff must isolate for ten days following a positive test or onset of symptoms. They may return if all the following criteria are met:

• 10 days have passed since symptoms began or if asymptomatic since positive test result, and

• Fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications (acetaminophen, ibuprofen), and

• Improvement in symptoms

You will need to submit a doctor's note with the allowed return date to the campus attendance secretary, either by a paper copy note or through ParentSquare.  

Will the school conduct contact tracing? 

The school district will report positive test results to TEA and the Scurry County Health Unit in accordance with their requirements.  Close contact determinations are generally based on guidance outlined by the CDC, which notes that vaccinated individuals are not considered close contacts.

Consistent with school notification requirements for other communicable diseases, and consistent with legal confidentiality requirements, schools must notify all teachers, staff, and families of all students in a classroom or extracurricular or after-school program cohort if a test-confirmed COVID-19 case is identified among students, teachers or staff who participated in those classrooms or cohorts. This notification will be sent out on ParentSquare.

Will my child have to quarantine if they are a close contact with someone with COVID-19? 

Classroom/Other Close Contact:  Parents of students who are determined to be close contacts of an individual with COVID-19 may opt to keep their students at home during the recommended stay-at-home period. In cases when it is permitted, parents who opt to send their children to school in the two weeks following exposure are encouraged to closely monitor their children for symptoms. 

Household Close Contact: Due to changes in Texas Education Agency’s Public Health Guidance, Snyder ISD has made adjustments to our COVID-19 protocols, in particular requirements for students who live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.  

For more information on CDC quarantine guidelines, click here.  Updated CDC guidance states the stay-at-home period can end for students experiencing no symptoms on Day 10 after close contact exposure, if no subsequent COVID-19 testing is performed.  

Alternately, students can end the stay-at-home period if they receive a negative result from a PCR/NCA acute infection test  (not a rapid antigen test) after the close contact exposure ends

CDC advises you quarantine if you have been in close contact (within 6 feet of someone for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone who has COVID-19, unless you have been fully vaccinated. People who are fully vaccinated do NOT need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID-19 unless they have symptoms. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested 3-5 days after their exposure, even if they don’t have symptoms and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.

How will the district respond to outbreaks?  

We work directly with the Scurry County Health Unit for directives regarding illness-specific guidance.

Reporting & Testing 

How will I know if there are positive cases on my child’s campus?  Will Snyder ISD provide a COVID-19 Case Dashboard for the 2021-2022 school year?  

Yes, the COVID-19 reporting dashboard is found here.  This will only include cases of students and staff that have been reported to us.  

Consistent with school notification requirements for other communicable diseases, and consistent with legal confidentiality requirements, schools must notify all teachers, staff, and families of all students in a classroom or extracurricular or after-school program cohort if a test-confirmed COVID-19 case is identified among students, teachers or staff who participated in those classrooms or cohorts. This notification will be sent out on ParentSquare.

Will the district offer COVID-19 testing? 

Snyder ISD is offering to test to students and staff members who meet certain requirements free of charge. Optional, curbisde student testing is available for students who begin to show COVID-19 symptoms during the school day. Student testing is only performed with parent/guardian consent (consent form is available in Skyward). Students in grades PreK-8th grade must have a parent/guardian present for curbside testing.  

Prevention

Will the district promote preventive measures to stop the spread of COVID-19? 

We understand that healthy habits significantly contributed to low transmission rates on our campuses during 2020-21. We will continue to promote frequent handwashing, sanitizer use, physical distancing when possible, and proper respiratory etiquette.

Additionally, our custodial staff are working diligently to disinfect classrooms frequently and utilize the E-mist electrostatic sprayer system for additional disinfection when students are out of the building. While not required, face masks are highly encouraged considering our community’s high transmission rate of COVID-19.

We also offer free rapid COVID-19 testing for Snyder ISD staff and students to help quickly identify positive COVID-19 cases and limit potential spread.

Will the district offer vaccines? 

The district has conducted several vaccination clinics for staff with the most recent one being held in August of 2021. At this time, we do not have a vaccination clinic scheduled for students 12 and over.   We urge families to discuss vaccination options with their healthcare provider.  

Can the district instruct a campus to mask if they have positive cases? 

On May 18, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order prohibiting government entities, including school districts, from requiring face masks after June 4. A number of large urban districts have decided to ignore Governor Abbott’s order and are attempting to mandate masks in their district.  We are not requiring masks, but we strongly encourage you to wear one.  Not only did we see a lower transmission of COVID-19 within schools, but we also saw almost no flu or other common illnesses last year. 

Missed School & Assignments

Will remote learning be offered this school year? 

State lawmakers did not pass legislation that would fund remote instruction; therefore, it will not be provided as a learning option for the students in Snyder ISD. The district shared a remote learning update in July. You can find that update here. 

How will my child make up assignments missed at school? 

As always, if a child is absent from school, they should notify their campus as soon as possible to notify of the absence and make arrangements for their child to make up missed assignments through Schoology or other means. 

Staff

What if a staff member tests positive for COVID-19?

School systems must exclude staff from attending school in person who is actively sick with COVID-19, who are suspected of being actively sick with COVID-19, or who have received a positive test result for COVID-19. Staff may return when the re-entry conditions have been met, as described in the DSHS rule used for students.

If an employee tests positive for COVD-19 will they need to use their days? 

Yes.  Employees will need to use days like they would for any other illness.  

May staff request that students wear masks in their classrooms?  

No, teachers or staff members may not ask a student to mask in their classroom. Per Governor Abbott's order, masking is optional for both students and staff.

Will the district offer vaccines to staff? 

The district held a vaccination clinic for staff last year.  We will complete a vaccination interest survey to determine if there is enough interest for another vaccination clinic.  

What if I have a close contact exposure?

• For staff that are not fully vaccinated and meet the COVID-19 close contact threshold (15 minutes or more within 6 feet or less while the contagious person was unmasked), it is recommended that those staff members remain off-campus during the stay-at-home period.  

• For staff who meet the close contact threshold with a COVID-19 positive individual, if these staff continue to work on campus, rapid testing must be performed periodically for 10 days post-exposure.