COVID-19

April 25, 2020

Dear STISD Family,

Late last week Governor Abbott ordered that all public and private school campuses, as well as colleges and universities, must remain closed for students for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Although we certainly miss having our students in our schools, their health and safety is the most important consideration at this time. As a result of the dedication and hard work of our students, parents, and faculty/staff, our Flexible Learning has gone well over the last five weeks. Together we have risen to the challenge of taking our teaching and learning online, and we look forward to the continuation of instruction through this method. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if there is anything you need assistance with to make this method work better for you and your child.

We are taking to the STISD board of directors at next Tuesday evening’s board meeting a proposal for a revised grading policy for the remainder of this school year. We understand that not all of our students learn the same way, and that each of our students has different circumstances working remotely, so we are proposing a policy that is fair and equitable to all. As soon as we have approval from our board to proceed, we will share with all of our faculty and staff and families the grading policy and how it will work.

Aside from instruction, we also remain committed to the continuation of meals for the children within our communities. We plan to continue this for the remainder of the school year as we prepare to transition into our summer feeding program.

We are also working on the development of plans for the pick-up of personal belongings and the drop-off of devices at the campuses. This will likely be scheduled for some time in late May or early June, depending upon our local orders and instructions. We will be in touch with all of our families in regards to the process as we get closer to the time and finalize our plans.

Seniors and parents of seniors– I know this time is particularly difficult and disappointing for you, as it has taken from you events and special milestones that you have worked towards and looked forward to for years. Due to the uncertainty related to this virus and its effects on society moving forward, unfortunately at this time we cannot guarantee we will be able to conduct a physical graduation. Despite the circumstances, we want graduation to be special for each and every one of you, and we want your families and friends to be able to celebrate this special achievement alongside you. We are in the process of planning for a virtual graduation for each high school to be held at the end of May. The event will be live-streamed and will include as many customized graduation moments as possible. Additional details about this will be provided as we move forward with our planning. Aside from the virtual graduation, we plan to recognize our seniors through dedicated webpages on our district website. Representatives from your campus will be in touch with you in regards to what is needed for that very soon, if they have not already been.

On behalf of our administration and board of directors, I thank you for your support and patience during this time. Please know that we will continue to try and make the best decisions we can for our district community. These are challenging times for all of us, but we are in this together, and we will get through it.

I hope you and yours stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Marco Antonio Lara, Jr., Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

South Texas ISD Superintendent Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: March 31, 2020 

I hope all is well with you and your loved ones. I am so proud of our STISD community for your attempts to minimize the spread of this horrible virus by sheltering in place, practicing good

hygiene, and by social distancing. We continue to work closely with local, state, and national agencies as we monitor the Coronavirus (COVID-19). President Donald Trump recently announced the extension of social distancing until April 30th, 2020. Cameron County and Hidalgo County also issued mandatory "Shelter-in-Place" orders last week that will remain in effect until April 8th and April 10th, respectively. Based upon these updates, the following adjustments will go into effect immediately for STISD:

• Schools will remain closed until further notice.

• Instructional resources and/or support will be provided by your teacher or the campus principal.

• The district will provide five days’ worth of breakfast and lunch meals through curbside distribution two days each week– Monday and Wednesday. Children are no longer required to accompany parents to pick up meals; however, parents will be asked to present documentation for their children. Please see the district website for further details.

• Designated essential campus staff will continue to report to work Monday and Wednesday from 8:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.

• Teachers will continue to prepare for potential long-term flexible learning by ensuring usage of a technology learning platform.

• All staff members must be available remotely from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

• All departments will continue to provide campus support for our STISD Community.

Please note that these decisions are based on the latest developments within our region, our state and our nation. Our previous correspondence is also posted on our district website. This situation is continuously evolving, and we will take this day-by-day and make the best decisions for the health and safety of our entire district community. We thank you for your patience, understanding, and cooperation.

Let’s all do our part to stop the spread of this horrible virus by continuing to take precautionary measures. Please stay healthy and safe.

Sincerely, 

Marco Antonio Lara, Jr., Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools 

March 24, 2020: 

STISD Parent and Guardians, 

We thank you for the support you have shown through the launch of our Flexible Learning program this week. Please know that, despite the challenges COVID-19 presents, we remain committed to the continuation of instruction and nutrition to the children of our communities. 

Our district is unique in that it serves students and families from three counties within the Rio Grande Valley – Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy – and as such, our district has been working diligently to stay up-to-date with directives and guidance from all three entities to ensure procedures are in place to best serve and protect our communities. 

Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino has ordered all residents of Cameron County to “shelter-in-place” from March 25th through April 8th, in conjunction with the national emergency declaration at the federal level and Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Declaration of Disaster.  The shelter in place order states families may leave their residence only for the purpose of obtaining meals and instructional packets for their children from their local school systems. We strongly suspect that the other counties will follow suit as well in the very near future. 

As allowed by the order, STISD will continue the serving of meals to children 18 and under within our local communities and will plan to streamline the fulfilment of any other instructional support needs from our families to occur during the same times beginning on March 25th, 2020. STISD essential staff has been authorized to travel to and from work to carry out these purposes. The aforementioned information solely applies to the education portion of the order, and the order includes other exceptions that may apply to you. STISD, working alongside county leaders, encourages you to continue the practice of social distancing and hand washing. 

The only defense we have to this horrible virus is to avoid personal contact with one another, so please, let’s do our part to bring this to an end as soon as possible.  We will continue to do all that we can to facilitate learning and nutrition for your children, and we ask for your continued patience and support.  We hope to be able to welcome your children to our campuses again in the near future, but until then we look forward to the opportunity to continue serving you online. We are a strong district community, and we will get through this together. 

I hope you and yours stay safe and healthy. 

Sincerely, 

Marco Antonio Lara, Jr., Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools 

March 20, 2020: 

STISD Family, 

South Texas ISD is committed to continuing to provide quality instruction to our students, even in the face of school closures. Our teachers and administration are preparing to kick off Flexible Learning next Tuesday, March 24.

While our campuses are closed, teachers, who will be based at their homes, will continue to deliver instruction via different methods online. This will be an opportunity to flex our creative muscles and think outside the box to provide our students with a rewarding and effective educational experience. This approach is flexible, and campuses will provide plentiful support for students and parents to help ensure student achievement.

The campuses will be reaching out to the students who may need assistance in this area to ensure they have the technology resources needed to be successful in their work. Rest assured that a member of your child’s campus team will be in touch soon, and we’re here to support you as we move forward.

Please be safe and stay healthy!

Sincerely, 

Marco Antonio Lara, Jr., Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools 

We sincerely appreciate the support you have shown while we work to ensure we are making the best decisions for the entire STISD community.  Because this is a very complicated situation, we continue to monitor and update district operations on a daily basis.  Please know that the health and well-being of our students and employees is our top priority. 

We continue to monitor updates for COVID-19 from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as local, state and federal organizations.  While there are currently no confirmed cases of anyone contracting the virus in Cameron, Hidalgo or Willacy County, we understand how quickly this can change, so the district has determined the best course of action is to activate Level 2 of our response plan. 

In doing so, STISD will suspend all normal school operations and close all STISD schools for two weeks following our regularly-scheduled Spring Break for students only at this time from March 23rd – April 3rd. We are asking our faculty and staff to report to their respective campuses on Monday, March 23rd, as normal, to facilitate plans to begin online instruction for students on March 24. Should we require additional school closures after April 3rd, we will inform everyone as soon as any decisions are made.

Please know that we intend to offer services to our students such as meals and instructional support while at home during the closure. Please continue to access our STISD website – www.stisd.net – for the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding our response to COVID-19. 

During this extended closure we encourage staff, students, and their families to exercise social/physical distancing to keep yourselves and your families safe.  We encourage everyone to use your best judgment to determine your own needs, while taking the health and safety of others into consideration. 

We are in unprecedented territory in an extraordinarily challenging time and I want to thank you for your understanding and patience as we work together to keep our community healthy and safe. 

Sincerely, 

Marco Antonio Lara, Jr., Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools 

Dear STISD Families,

STISD continues to work in conjunction with local and federal authorities, as well as our sister school districts to actively monitor the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).  As always, the safety of our students, staff and families remains our top priority, and we will act appropriately to keep us all safe. STISD has moved from Level 1 and is now operating at LEVEL 2 as detailed in the chart below. We will make adjustments to this chart as we deem appropriate and as the situation calls for.  Remember that this is fast changing event that requires us to react at a moment’s notice.  Your patience and understanding is appreciated. 

Health officials are recommending that local communities and schools should take the same basic preventative measures to protect against COVID-19, like you would for the cold and flu:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Stay home when you are sick and do not return to work or school
• Cover your coughs or sneezes with a tissue (not your hands)
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Currently Cameron, Hidalgo & Willacy County Public Health Departments continue to keep us informed regarding the immediate threat to our community.  Should this threat increase at any time, STISD is prepared to take appropriate measures to ensure everyone’s health and safety. We encourage you to get your information from credible sources.  The Texas Department of State Health Services has a webpage with updates, key messages, frequently asked questions, travel advisories, and more at: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/.  

STISD taking proactive measures against Coronavirus

STISD is taking the threat of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) seriously, and administration and nursing staff members are closely monitoring information and guidance to stay up-to-date on the latest information.

STISD will continue to follow developments and communicate updates until the threat of the virus has passed.

At this time, there are no confirmed or suspected cases in STISD schools or the three counties served by the district.

We are following the direction and expertise of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Texas Department of Health and Human Services to help protect our students and surrounding communities against the transmission of communicable diseases.

The following are some of the measures STISD is taking, and will continue to take, to ensure a safe environment for all students and staff:

• Educating students, staff, and community members about:
  - the importance of frequent hand washing;
  - covering a cough or sneeze;
  - not touching one’s eyes, nose, and mouth;
  - staying home when ill; and
  - other measures to prevent the spread of all communicable disease;

• Routinely disinfecting campuses – including classrooms, cafeterias and common areas - and buses with a cleaner that is effective against multiple disease-causing viruses and bacteria;

• Monitoring students for symptoms and referring students to the school nurse for assessment as appropriate; and

• School nurses excluding students from school attendance according to Department of State Health Services and Guidelines and working with Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy Public Health for any suspected case of a "Reportable Condition."

Parents/guardians can help keep their children, our schools, and community healthy by:

• Observing their child for signs of infection which may include coughing, colds, fever, itching on the skin and scalp and unusual rashes;
• Reinforcing the importance of good hand hygiene;
• Adopting healthy practices, such as disposing of used tissues, coughing into a sleeve rather than into a hand, and not touching one’s eyes, nose, and mouth;
• Keeping children home until free of fever for 24 hours (without the aid of fever-reducing medication);
• Keeping children home until diarrhea free for 24 hours (without the aid of anti-diarrheal medication); and
• Receiving the flu vaccine
• Carefully consider potential exposure when traveling.

Below are resources from the CDC and other entities, which provide information regarding COVID-19 and preventative measures that can be taken.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

CDC Information on Prevention & Treatment of Coronavirus - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html

American Academy of Pediatrics Information on 2019 Novel Coronavirus - https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/Pages/2019-Novel-Coronavirus.aspx

Germ Prevention Strategies from American Academy of Pediatrics - https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/prevention/Pages/Germ-Prevention-Strategies.aspx