The Plano ISD is looking ahead to spring as the fall semester draws to a close according to a Community Impact article published on December 21st. In it they say:
“Whether their students should attend school virtually or in person is a decision that PISD parents have been grappling with amid the pandemic. The first semester involved a huge learning curve, with technology changes, the coordination of classes, and students and staff moving in and out of quarantine because of exposure to the coronavirus. The district has made adjustments along the way, and more are to come.”
By “more to come” they mean the fact that the PISD announced that they would be changing certain Covid guidelines and definitions according to a December 15 Community Impact article. In it they say:
“PISD announced Dec. 14 that it would revise the definition of a “close contact” and change the district’s quarantine policy effective Jan. 1 . . . This move aligns district policy with recent updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the Texas Education Agency, according to the district. When the new semester begins Jan. 4, close contact will be defined as “being within 6-feet of an infectious person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more during a 24-hour period,” though factors such as consistent and proper masking could affect that determination. Proper masking is defined as when “both the infectious individual and potential close contact are wearing a multi-layer face mask that covers the nose and mouth and fits around the nose and chin.”
The article also says that close contact quarantines will be restricted to 10 days from the original 14 days. A lot of changes are coming to the Plano ISD this spring.