Maintaining close contact with, and seeking regular guidance from, your primary care doctor - whether a pediatrician or family physician - is an important element in maintaining a healthy and safe environment in schools. AISD urges you to seek out and adhere to recommendations from your family’s personal physician about health issues, including those related to COVID-19.

Aledo ISD is proud to partner with the Parker County Hospital District (PCHD) to provide Bearcat Care at each of our campuses. The Bearcat Care Service allows for a telemedicine visit with a licensed nurse practitioner or family physician through the nurse’s clinic on the school campus. Through collaboration between AISD nursing staff and PCHD medical staff, a thorough exam can be completed, tests like flu, strep and COVID-19 can be administered, and medications can be prescribed to be picked up at a pharmacy of choice. The telemedicine visit with the PCHD physician or nurse practitioner will not initiate until parents have completed the enrollment process and without explicit consent from parents. The Bearcat Care service is available to enrolled students as well as district employees. Both rapid and PCR COVID-19 tests are available. To learn more about and to register (students or staff) for this service, click here.

Before a person enters an AISD facility, they (or their parent) must check themselves for COVID-19 symptoms. Parents/guardians are expected to screen their student(s) for COVID-19 symptoms each day prior to sending their student(s) to school/a school event or placing their student(s) on the school bus. All individuals are to be free of the following symptoms prior to entering an AISD facility: 

• Fever of 100.0° F or above or feeling feverish 
• New or unexplained cough 
• New or unexplained trouble breathing, shortness of breath or wheezing 
• New or unexplained fatigue 
• Sore throat 
• Diarrhea 
• New or unexplained nausea or vomiting 
• New or unexplained muscle aches 
• New or unexplained headache 
• New or unexplained congestion or runny nose 
• New or unexplained loss of smell, taste, or change in taste 

Allergies vs. COVID-19

COVID-19 and allergy symptoms are very similar, and we have had instances where individuals ultimately tested COVID-19 positive but had symptoms for several days and attributed it to allergies. The chart below from the CDC explains the differences between symptoms of COVID-19 and allergies. Anyone experiencing symptoms of both COVID-19 and allergies should consider staying home and being tested.

On Tuesday, May 18, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-36 that prohibits school districts from requiring a person to wear a face covering. Aledo ISD will not require face coverings for anyone on district property. Any person on district property has the option of wearing a face covering, and Aledo ISD strongly encourages wearing face coverings indoors when distancing of three feet or greater is not possible for more than 15 minutes. Many national, state and local health authorities and healthcare providers, including the Parker County Local Health Authority, Cook Children’s Healthcare System, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC recommend wearing face coverings in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in schools. 

District staff will be diligent in supporting students in their choice regarding masking and will support and expect respect among students regarding their choice.

Masks are available at all district facilities for use by students, staff and visitors, and face shields will also be available to staff and to students upon request.

COVID-19 vaccines are available for individuals age 5 and older. If you are interested in finding a vaccination location, please visit https://dshs.texas.gov/covidvaccine/ or https://www.vaccines.gov/. 

Please note that, per CDC recommendation, students who are fully vaccinated and not showing symptoms of COVID-19 do not require any action following close contact with a COVID-positive individual but should monitor symptoms and should take a COVID-19 test 3-5 days following exposure to be sure they are not positive. Anyone - vaccinated or not - with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should not come to school. 

Maintaining social distance at our schools with all students present is a significant challenge. When possible, students and staff are encouraged to maintain a physical distance of 3 feet apart. Campus leadership has worked to create separation between students when possible. Teachers and staff are encouraged to use outdoor space or spaces that allow for more distance when instructionally possible. 

Teachers will review materials with students that discuss proper protocols and expectations for hand washing and covering coughs and sneezes. Each campus will have visual reminders (e.g. posters) throughout the building of the proper protocols for hand washing. 

In addition to handwashing, the use of hand sanitizer is also recommended. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer will be at the entrance of the campus, in each classroom and in the cafeteria. Students and staff are encouraged to sanitize their hands frequently, especially when entering class, before and after handling manipulatives, and before and after eating.

Custodial staff will clean and disinfect each classroom, restroom, office and common area each day, with additional disinfecting of all high-touch areas multiple times per day. Custodial staff will use EPA-registered disinfectants, approved for use against COVID-19. The district will use electrostatic misters in each facility on a rotating basis throughout the year and also for specific areas based on need. Each classroom will have disinfectant solution that students and/or staff may use to sanitize high touch and working surfaces and frequently shared items as needed.

Visitors and volunteers in Aledo ISD facilities are expected to follow the same protocols as students and staff, including self-screening for symptoms prior to entering buildings. 

All individuals, including visitors and volunteers, are to be free of the following symptoms prior to entering an AISD facility: 

• Fever of 100.0° F or above or feeling feverish 
• New or unexplained cough 
• New or unexplained trouble breathing, shortness of breath or wheezing 
• New or unexplained fatigue 
• Sore throat 
• Diarrhea 
• New or unexplained nausea or vomiting 
• New or unexplained muscle aches 
• New or unexplained headache 
• New or unexplained congestion or runny nose 
• New or unexplained loss of smell, taste or change in taste 

Visitors and volunteers are prohibited from coming into school facilities if they have tested positive for COVID-19 and shall report to AISD if they test positive for COVID-19 shortly after being on district property. Recent visitors and volunteers shall report a positive COVID-19 test here. 

Masks will be available at all district facilities.

Water fountains will not be accessible to students; however, students can use the bottle-filling stations on campus. Aledo ISD urges parents to send their student to school with a container for water with their name clearly marked on it.

If a student or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19, the parent or staff member should notify the district by using this form, also located on the district website.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has categorized COVID-19 as a disease requiring a student’s exclusion from school for a particular number of days under 25 Tex. Admin. Code § 97.7 - much like chicken pox or pertussis (whooping cough). Aledo ISD will follow this state requirement. Below is information from the DSHS website (click here for more information):

A school administrator shall exclude from attendance any child having or suspected of having COVID-19. Exclusion shall continue until the readmission criteria for the conditions are met. The readmission criteria for COVID-19 is as follows:

If symptomatic, exclude until at least 10 days have passed since symptom onset, and fever free*, and other symptoms have improved. Children who test positive for COVID-19 but do not have any symptoms must stay home until at least 10 days after the day they were tested.

*Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications. Fever is a temperature of 100° Fahrenheit (37.8° Celsius) or higher.

Aledo ISD will follow the requirement from DSHS for students (see above) and for staff members as well. Any staff member who has COVID-19 will be excluded from coming to work and can return only when meeting the readmission criteria for positive cases of COVID-19 as follows:

If symptomatic, exclude until at least 10 days have passed since symptom onset, and fever free*, and other symptoms have improved. Staff who test positive for COVID-19 but do not have any symptoms must stay home until at least 10 days after the day they were tested.

*Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications. Fever is a temperature of 100° Fahrenheit (37.8° Celsius) or higher.

When a student or staff member is on district property and learns they have tested positive for COVID-19, the campus isolation plan must be followed. The campus will immediately separate any student or staff member who shows COVID-19 symptoms. 

• A student will immediately be separated in the isolation area and monitored until the student can be picked up by a parent/guardian or designated emergency contact(s). Students should be picked up as soon as possible. 
• A staff member will immediately be separated from everyone else in the building, and will be sent home. The staff member should leave the building as soon as possible.

When a student or staff member has symptoms of COVID-19 or his/her temperature is 100°F or higher and he/she is at school, the school nurse will provide a clinical assessment to determine if and when they may need to be sent home. Like in other healthcare settings, if a student is sick and visits the school nurse, in some instances and at the nurse’s discretion as the healthcare provider, the nurse may require that the student wear a mask while in the clinic. The nurse will have masks available for this purpose. If a student’s parent or the staff member desires testing for COVID-19, and doing so is deemed appropriate by the campus nurse, the campus nurse will administer a test for COVID-19. If a test is administered and is positive, the steps outlined above (see Lab-Confirmed Positive for COVID-19) shall be followed. If the child or staff member is not tested or a COVID-19 test is negative, parents or the staff member should monitor symptoms, go home and stay home while sick, and consider seeking advice from their physician. If there is a negative COVID-19 test and unless otherwise directed by the physician, the individual can return to school when all symptoms have cleared and they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications. 

For a visual representation of this information please refer to the AISD 2021-2022 COVID-19 Process Maps.

When a student or staff member has symptoms of COVID-19 or their temperature is 100°F or higher and they are not at school, they should stay home. They should remain home while sick, monitor symptoms, and seek advice from their physician as needed. Unless otherwise directed by the physician, the individual can return to school when all symptoms have cleared and they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications. If at any time while the student or staff member is staying at home for symptoms of COVID-19 or for having a temperature 100°F or higher the student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, follow the steps outlined above in the Lab-Confirmed Positive for COVID-19 section.

For a visual representation of this information please refer to the AISD 2021-2022 COVID-19 Process Maps.

Aledo ISD students living in the same household as someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 are required to quarantine with exceptions for students who are either fully vaccinated or have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days AND are symptom free. See below for required quarantine options.

It is strongly recommended that anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 follows the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), supported by the Parker County Local Health Authority, and listed below.

• If your child is experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, do not bring them to school, seek advice from their physician, and consider getting them tested.
• If your child is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and is not experiencing symptoms, the following quarantine guidelines do not apply. You should monitor your child for symptoms and have your child take a COVID-19 test 3-5 days following exposure to be sure they are not positive. If your child tests positive, please report the positive result at the link available here. 
• If your child has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days and is not experiencing symptoms, the following quarantine guidelines do not apply. You should monitor your child for symptoms and do not bring them to school if they are sick.
• If your child is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and has not tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days, it is strongly recommended that you choose from one of the following three quarantine options:

OPTION 1: Quarantine for 14 days from the date of last exposure to the individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. This option is recommended in all quarantine cases.

OPTION 2: Quarantine for 10 days from the date of last exposure to the individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. To end this quarantine period after 10 days, the individual in quarantine:

• Should not have COVID-related symptoms at any time during the 10 days of quarantine, AND
• Should not have had any additional contact with someone who is lab-confirmed positive for COVID-19. 

To most safely return from quarantine after 10 days, it is recommended the individual wear a mask for four days (days 11-14 following exposure) upon return to work or school. 

OPTION 3: Quarantine for 7 days from the date of last exposure to the individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. To end this quarantine period after 7 days, the individual in quarantine:

• Should not have had COVID-related symptoms at any time during the 7 days of quarantine, AND
• Should not have any additional contact with someone who is positive for COVID-19.
• Should have received a negative COVID test between the 5th and 7th day of quarantine; Aledo ISD will not test individuals in these circumstances – locating and obtaining a negative test result is the responsibility of the family or staff member

To most safely return from quarantine after 7 days, it is recommended the individual wear a mask for seven days (days 8-14 following exposure) upon return to work or school.

We encourage you to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and to contact your physician as soon as any symptoms may develop. If symptoms develop or if your child tests positive for COVID-19, please update school officials with this information as the return date for quarantine will change. Such symptomatic conditions or positive test results should be reported at the link available here. 

As required by the state, Aledo ISD will notify the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Parker County Local Health Authority of any individual who was in an AISD facility and has reported to the district that they have tested positive for COVID-19.

The AISD maintains a dashboard on the district’s website that will provide updates on school days that include:

• The number of positive COVID-19 cases (students/staff) on a campus and in the district that have been reported to the Aledo ISD.
• A chart for McAnally Intermediate, Aledo Middle School, Daniel Ninth Grade Campus and Aledo High School that lists each classroom by class period as well as each extracurricular activity and grade level. In the chart, you will see the last date an individual who has reported to the Aledo ISD as being COVID-19 positive was in class in that classroom/extracurricular activity. If there is no date listed, that means there has not been a COVID-19 positive person in that classroom in the last 10 calendar days. The summary page of your student’s schedule in the Ascender Parent Portal lists classroom numbers for your student.

The AISD will provide the following notices to parents via email:

• Notice of required isolation and return date to any parent who reports that their child has tested positive for COVID-19.
• Notice to parents of students in grades PreK-5 that an individual in their child’s class has tested positive.
• Notice of quarantine requirements for a child whose parent has reported the child’s close contact with someone who has tested positive living in the same household.
• Notice of recommended quarantine options with return dates to any parent who reports that their child has been in close contact with someone who does not live in their household and is confirmed as positive for COVID-19.