Effective June 5, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott prohibited public schools from requiring masks on their campuses for students, teachers, parents, staff members, or visitors. This decision was part of an executive order dated May 18, 2021 that banned government entities in Texas - like cities, counties, school districts and public health authorities - from mandating masks. This policy was reaffirmed in a second executive order dated July 29, 2021. Legal challenges are currently working their way through the courts. 

Until such time as LPS receives different guidance, masks will not be required. However, anyone should feel comfortable wearing a mask if he/she chooses. There are recommendations from both the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics that all individuals over the age of 2 wear masks in schools, regardless of vaccination status.  

Parents and staff are expected to continue to screen themselves and their children for COVID symptoms prior to coming to work/school each day.  In addition, please follow these healthy practices:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
• Cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze.
• Stay home if sick, especially if there is a fever.
• We encourage maintaining distance from others when possible.
• If you or your child are unvaccinated please consider wearing a mask for your own protection and for the protection of others.
• As always, please remember students must be fever free, without medicine, for 24 hours before returning to school to prevent the spread of illnesses.

Custodial teams will use electrostatic spray (e-mist) in areas as needed to combat germs and spreading of illnesses of any kind. Hand sanitizer stations will continue to be available. 

Keep your student home from school until you can see a health care provider or take and receive results from a COVID-19 test.

Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 will be required to isolate until at least 10 days have passed since their symptom onset AND their symptoms have improved, or since their positive test if they have no symptoms.

Schools are required to exclude students who have tested positive for COVID-19, or who are suspected of having COVID-19 due to the display of symptoms, until they meet the criteria for readmission.

If a student displays symptoms of COVID-19 at school, the Clinic Aides will conduct an evaluation to determine if symptoms are consistent with COVID-19. Symptoms consistent with COVID-19 is defined as:

• new onset of at least two of the following symptoms: fever or chills, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea OR
• new onset of at least one of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing  

If a Clinic Aide determines that the student is displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the student will be sent home. Students with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 must quarantine until the individual's symptoms have improved and one of the following:

• at least 10 days have passed since symptom onset;
• the individual receives a negative test (proof of negative test required); or
• a physician identifies the individual's symptoms as something other than COVID-19 (a doctor's note confirming the alternate diagnosis required)

Parents are required to report to the District as soon as possible if their student has tested positive for COVID-19. Parents should email Lenee Safstrom at lsafstrom@lpsfrisco.com to report the incident and attach the results. 

Additionally, all absences, including absences related to COVID-19 should be reported prior to 8:30am each school day to elementaryattendance@lpsfrisco.com and/or secondaryattendance@lpsfrisco.com.  

Parents/staff in grades K-5 will be notified when there is a positive case in their student's/staff member's cohort (2 classes per grade level usually). The campus will also send a generic notification to all parents.Parents/staff in grades 6-12 will be notified when there is a positive case on campus. Notifications will also be sent if extracurricular activities were impacted.

Staff will not be able to conduct close contact tracing in every circumstance at secondary since students may share classes with a variety of grade levels, may wear masks, or may be vaccinated. 

Pursuant to TEA requirements, students and staff will not be required to quarantine for exposure. However, parents may choose to keep their students home as a result of a positive classroom or campus notification. Absences will be excused up to 10 calendar days from the last date the positive individual was on campus. (see the Parent-Student Handbook about the missed work policy)

All absences, both excused and unexcused, count toward the 90% attendance rule (see the Parent-Student Handbook). This includes excused absences due to personal illness as a result of COVID-19 or voluntary quarantine due to a positive classroom or campus notification.

Any student in any grade level from kindergarten through 12th grade shall not be given credit or a final grade for a class unless the student is in attendance 90% of the days the class is offered. If the student's attendance falls below 90%, then an attendance committee shall meet. The committee shall review the student's entire attendance record and the reasons for the absences and shall determine whether to award credit or a final grade. 

It is best practice for anyone who has been exposed to quarantine and get tested immediately if symptoms are present.

If you are asymptomatic and able to actually separate the exposed person from the infected person, then you should get tested no sooner than 4 days from the last exposure. If that test is negative, it is safe to assume that the quarantine has been successful and the quarantined person can resume attendance. 

Otherwise, the quarantine will last as long as the isolation for the infected person. 

If the quarantined person subsequently becomes infected, their isolation should begin from the onset of their symptoms.