September 9, 2020 - Timpson ISD has posted an update on their social media relating to COVID-19 cases on their campuses, and plans to move forward.
From Supt. Dr. Mid Johnson
It is my duty to inform you as parents, students, and community members of Timpson ISD of the overall situation in our school district and what our plans are to address the issues. As of this morning, our district is reporting 7 additional cases of Covid-19 on the school campuses of Timpson ISD. Six of these are at the high school campus with three employees and three students. We also have an additional case at Timpson Middle School to report. We certainly understand that these numbers mark a milestone in our decision making efforts to thwart the virus threat to our school and community. We understand that many students and parents want their children to continue on campus learning and we are dedicated to providing this for our students. Therefore, our decision at this point is to continue on campus learning for tomorrow September 10, 2020 on all campuses. We are continuing to conduct contact tracing on the positive cases and quarantine those individuals as the guidelines of TEA and the Texas Department of Health Services prescribe. We have also deep cleaned and sanitized the areas where those students were and will continue to do this regularly throughout the campus each day and throughout the day.
However, I must issue a word of caution to parents and grandparents who have students who will be attending on campus instruction. There is a chance that your child might contract the virus. Please, be aware of this. Statistics say that most children will be fine in a relatively short period of time if they contract Covid-19. However, those people who are older and have serious underlying health conditions have a greater chance of having more severe consequences. Therefore, I would urge you as a parent to have a serious family discussion about whether you want to receive on-campus or remote instruction. This is what my heart says to tell people and I would hope that all leaders would be able to do this in their communities.
If you decide to engage in remote learning or temporarily engage in remote learning, please understand that there might be initial difficulties in getting the process to work effectively. Generally, we are able to resolve issues for remote learners within a few days. Please, be patient and our school will do its best to provide appropriate services. We also realize that we stated earlier that students had to make the decision for a six weeks period of time. However, we realize that time changes things and may cause some parents to wish for their child to receive remote learning immediately. Please, contact your campus. I just don't feel like we can make this announcement without giving parents this option. And please understand that the school is somewhat limited now in terms of equipment. We are expecting a large shipment of devices and equipment from the State in the near future but, they have continued to push back this delivery date.
We hope everyone makes the best of 2020 even in light of present circumstances.
Additional information
TISD must also report that there was a positive case of Covid-19 on the elementary school campus reported to us yesterday as well. Contact tracing has been done and parents notified. Cleaning and procedures were followed.
