The safety of our students, staff, and their families is the top priority of Lubbock-Cooper ISD. Below you will find answers to frequently asked questions regarding the district's COVID-19 protocol.

ON-CAMPUS AND AT-HOME LEARNING

Can I opt for virtual instruction for my child?

After careful consideration and input from teachers, administrators, and district families, the Lubbock-Cooper ISD Board of Trustees has voted to suspend virtual instruction effective on Tuesday, October 13 for secondary students and Monday, October 19 for elementary students. This means that secondary students currently receiving virtual instruction are expected to report for school on campus on Tuesday, October 13, and elementary students currently receiving virtual instruction are expected to report for school on campus on Monday, October 19.

The decision to end virtual instruction was not taken lightly; however, district and campus administrators believe it is in the best interest of Lubbock-Cooper students. The district is currently serving 10% of the LCISD student population virtually. Out of that percentage, less than 10% of secondary students have remained actively engaged throughout the entire process, and less than 40% of elementary students have remained actively engaged. While some students have been regularly engaged and successful, the vast majority of our virtual students are suffering educationally and are not showing learning progress. Our teachers and administrators have made numerous attempts to reach and engage virtual learners but have seen minimal improvement or success. As a school district, it is our job to serve students and provide them with the best possible educational opportunities.

At this time, Traditional Instruction is the only learning method available to LCISD students.

Does my child have to wear a mask at school?

Use of face coverings will follow Governer Abbott’s order GA-29, which reads as follows:

Every person in Texas shall wear a face covering over the nose and mouth when inside a commercial entity or other building or space open to the public, or when in an outdoor public space, wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household; provided, however, that this face-covering requirement does not apply to the following: 

1. any person younger than 10 years of age; 
2. any person with a medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering; 
3. any person while the person is consuming food or drink, or is seated at a restaurant to eat or drink; 
4. any person while the person is (a) exercising outdoors or engaging in physical activity outdoors, and (b) maintaining a safe distance from other people not in the same household; 
5. any person while the person is driving alone or with passengers who are part of the same household as the driver; 
6. any person obtaining a service that requires temporary removal of the face covering for security surveillance, screening, or a need for specific access to the face, such as while visiting a bank or while obtaining a personal care service involving the face, but only to the extent necessary for the temporary removal; 
7. any person while the person is in a swimming pool, lake, or similar body of water;
8. any person who is voting, assisting a voter, serving as a poll watcher, or actively administering an election, but wearing a face covering is strongly encouraged; 
9. any person who is actively providing or obtaining access to religious worship, but wearing a face covering is strongly encouraged; 
10. any person while the person is giving a speech for a broadcast or to an audience; or 
11. any person in a county (a) that meets the requisite criteria promulgated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) regarding minimal cases of COVID-19, and (b) whose county judge has affirmatively opted-out of this face-covering requirement by filing with TDEM the required face-covering attestation form—provided, however, that wearing a face covering is highly recommended, and every county is strongly encouraged to follow these face-covering standards.
    
    
    
    

HEALTH

I believe my child may have COVID-19. What should I do?

Parents must ensure they do not send a child to school on-campus if the child has COVID-19 symptoms or is lab-confirmed with COVID-19. If you believe your child may have COVID-19 and is experiencing symptoms, please contact a healthcare professional. Your child will need to remain off-campus until the following Return to School Criteria are met:

• Any individuals who themselves either: (a) are lab-confirmed to have COVID-19; or (b) experience the symptoms of COVID-19 must stay at home throughout the infection period, and cannot return to campus until the school system screens the individual to determine any of the below conditions for campus re-entry have been met: 
  • at least one day (24 hours) has passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications); 
  • the individual has improvement in symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and 
  • at least ten days have passed since symptoms first appeared. 
• In the case of an individual who was diagnosed with COVID-19, the individual may return to school when all three of the following criteria are met: 
• In the case of an individual who has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and who is not evaluated by a medical professional or tested for COVID-19, such individual is assumed to have COVID-19, and the individual may not return to the campus until the individual has completed the same three-step set of criteria listed above.
• If the individual has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and wants to return to school before completing the above stay at home period, the individual must either (a) obtain a medical professional’s note clearing the individual for return based on an alternative diagnosis or (b) obtain an acute infection test at an approved testing location (https://tdem.texas.gov/covid-19/ or https://ci.lubbock.tx.us/departments/health-department/about-us/covid-19-testing-location) that comes back negative for COVID-19

Please be sure to notify your child’s campus if your child exhibits symptoms of or tests positive for COVID-19.

I believe a member of my household has COVID-19. What should I do?

If you believe a member of your household has COVID-19, it is best to assume the individual does have COVID-19 until they have received a negative COVID-19 test or have been cleared by a physician. If the suspected member of your household does not receive medical clearance or it is determined that your household has been exposed to COVID-19, all household members should stay home until the 14-day incubation period has passed, unless otherwise instructed by the City of Lubbock Health Department. 

Please be sure to notify your child’s campus if your child is staying home due to possible COVID-19 exposure.

How will I be notified if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 on my child’s campus?

As required by the Texas Education Agency, the parents of all students on a campus will be notified of any lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 identified among students, teachers or staff who participate in any on-campus activities. The notification will be via email, and will be consistent with school notification requirements for other communicable diseases and legal confidentiality requirements.

Receiving an email notice of a confirmed COVID-19 case on your child's campus does not necessarily mean your child has had any exposure to the infected individual. The campus will work to identify any cases of known potential close contact, and will notify those parents via telephone to allow for additional monitoring and/or medical follow-up.

How are you keeping classrooms/schools clean?

Our janitorial staff already exceeds health code requirements for sanitization. In addition to daily cleaning, all campuses will adhere to the following:

• Hand sanitizer and/or hand washing stations will be available in each classroom, at all entrances, and throughout common spaces.
• Students, staff, and visitors will be encouraged to sanitize and/or wash hands frequently.
• Custodial staff will engage in enhanced cleaning procedures of buildings including but not limited to all classrooms, offices, restrooms, and other common areas.
• Custodial staff will use a cleaning process with CDC recommended disinfectants that are proven to kill the COVID-19 virus as well as others and are certified safe for schools.
• Custodial staff will utilize electrostatic misters in all campus areas. Misters are designed to spread disinfectant and ensure that disinfectant droplets adhere to and coat surfaces.
• Custodial staff will frequently wipe high traffic surfaces, including handrails, door handles, counter tops, restroom surfaces, and cafeteria surfaces continually throughout the day.
• Custodial staff will increase the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting of restrooms and common areas throughout the day.
• Custodial staff will continually monitor hand washing and sanitizing stations throughout each building to ensure necessary personal disinfectant products are filled and available.
• Additional daytime custodial staff will be present on campuses to assist with more frequent disinfectant protocols.

STUDENT SERVICES

Has meal service been impacted by COVID-19?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently issued flexibilities enabling Lubbock-Cooper ISD to provide free school meals for all students through the fall semester.
Beginning Monday, September 14, reimbursable school meals will be available to all Lubbock-Cooper ISD students at no cost. A reimbursable school meal includes at least one serving of fruits or vegetables and at least two servings of meat, grain, and/or dairy. (A standard school meal is considered reimbursable.) This opportunity will expire on Thursday, December 31.
Students will still be charged for additional servings and a la carte food items. If you wish to apply money to your child's account to allow them to purchase additional servings or a la carte food items, please visit https://www.lunchmoneynow.com/lmnlcp/splash.php.


Will the bus be available to transport my child?
As we work to achieve the safest possible return to school for our students, we must address the issue of transportation. While buses will still be provided for students who need them, we are encouraging families to transport their own children to school if at all possible. We feel this will minimize the number of bus riders and allow maximum social distancing on our buses. 

The option to ride the bus is still available if you are not able to transport your children to/from school. The following guidelines are in effect on LCISD buses:

• When riding the bus, students 10 years of age and older will be expected to abide by Governor Abbott’s order GA-29 regarding face coverings.
• All buses will have hand sanitizer dispensers placed in the stairwells for use when loading/unloading. All students will use hand sanitizer when boarding/exiting the bus. 
• Buses will load back to front, and unload front to back.
• To support contact tracing, students will be assigned seats and a seating chart will be maintained by the bus driver.
• Buses will be wiped down and sanitized daily.
• Bus windows will be partially open (at minimum) during routes to provide additional ventilation.

OTHER

How can I help?

The Pirate family is an incredible, powerful group! Many community members have reached out offering assistance as we implement home instruction in the wake of school closure during the COVID-19 public health crisis. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to LCISD Director of Student Services Jay Whitefield at jwhitefield@lcisd.net.

I have additional questions. Who can I contact?

If you have additional questions about the district’s COVID-19 protocol or preparations, please email your question to info@lcisd.net. Your question will be directed to the appropriate contact. You are also welcome to contact your child’s campus at any time during school hours.