COVID-19 School Safe Zones
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El Paso, Texas (1 January 2021) - Recommendations for Return to School After Winter Break
The City of El Paso Department of Public Health is publishing the following recommendations as part of the ongoing commitment with local schools in an effort to promote a safe return to school after the winter break.
Currently the hospitalization rate is on a downward trend, having dropped below the 20% hospitalization threshold set by the Trauma Service Area I (TSA). Region 19 schools, together with the Texas Education Agency, created a plan to gradually return students to schools for in-person instruction, based on established TSA hospitalization threshold rates.
Despite our downward trend, we continue to closely monitor the effects of the recent holiday season on infections and hospitalizations in our region. Therefore, we are recommending the following:
Hector I. Ocaranza, M.D., MPH, FAAP
Local Health Authority City/County of El Paso, TX
The City of El Paso Department of Public Health is publishing the following recommendations as part of the ongoing commitment with local schools in an effort to promote a safe return to school after the winter break.
Currently the hospitalization rate is on a downward trend, having dropped below the 20% hospitalization threshold set by the Trauma Service Area I (TSA). Region 19 schools, together with the Texas Education Agency, created a plan to gradually return students to schools for in-person instruction, based on established TSA hospitalization threshold rates.
Despite our downward trend, we continue to closely monitor the effects of the recent holiday season on infections and hospitalizations in our region. Therefore, we are recommending the following:
- Start returning children for in-person instruction on or after January 18th.
- School Nurses and Medical/Health Assistants should receive COVID-19 vaccination during Phase 1a, second tier.
- Teachers and staff that qualify under Phase 1b should register with a vaccine provider to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Utilize rapid COVID-19 testing available for screening of teachers, staff and students, giving priority to symptomatic individuals.
- School Districts review and update current infection control protocols.
- Should current pandemic situation change, further recommendations will be published which will address immediate risk to teachers, staff and students.
Hector I. Ocaranza, M.D., MPH, FAAP
Local Health Authority City/County of El Paso, TX
El Paso, Texas (October 23, 2020) — Given the rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, Region 19 school districts, in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and support from the El Paso Delegation and Health Authorities, initiated a plan to address the safety of students, teachers and school staff. School districts will continue to offer remote instruction for all families. School districts will mitigate on-campus instruction based on tri-county hospitalization information from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The hospitalization rates are categorized in four types of emergency percentage Zones which impact the day-to-day operations of school districts. The counties of El Paso, Hudspeth, and Culberson are currently in the Red Zone with a hospitalization rate of 32%.
All school systems in the region will take steps to implement this as a minimum framework no later than Monday, November 9, 2020. To assist with adoption, rapid COVID-19 testing will be made available for those districts to coincide with the start (or continuation of) on-campus instruction. Since we are currently in the Red Zone, any school system already offering on- campus instruction to priority students will have testing made available to them. As districts move into different Zones, testing will be made available for on-campus staff and students.
Funding, regardless of instructional delivery method offered, will continue. The Region 19 Plan (waiver) expires on 31 Jan 2021.
The hospitalization rates are categorized in four types of emergency percentage Zones which impact the day-to-day operations of school districts. The counties of El Paso, Hudspeth, and Culberson are currently in the Red Zone with a hospitalization rate of 32%.
All school systems in the region will take steps to implement this as a minimum framework no later than Monday, November 9, 2020. To assist with adoption, rapid COVID-19 testing will be made available for those districts to coincide with the start (or continuation of) on-campus instruction. Since we are currently in the Red Zone, any school system already offering on- campus instruction to priority students will have testing made available to them. As districts move into different Zones, testing will be made available for on-campus staff and students.
Funding, regardless of instructional delivery method offered, will continue. The Region 19 Plan (waiver) expires on 31 Jan 2021.
Please visit our Education Service Center Region 19 website, esc19.net, for additional information about school safety zones, testing and updates from the TEA. More details can be found at: https://www.esc19.net/Page/1564.
School systems in the region will continue to offer remote instruction for all families that choose remote instruction.
Families that choose on campus attendance, it will be provided as well; however, access to on campus instruction may be restricted by a school system as described below depending upon the level of COVID-19 hospitalizations as a percentage of total hospitalizations in the Trauma Service Area (TSA).
TSA measurements can be found here.
When determining which zone applies on any given day, the prior 7 days daily value must each be at or below the given zone’s threshold. When the region’s COVID19 hospitalization percentage indicates that it would increase to a higher zone, a local school system may (but is not required to) limit on campus instruction as described below, effective immediately (although advance notice to parents is preferable). When dropping to a lower zone, any restrictions of on campus instruction no longer allowed in that zone must stop within roughly 7 days (ie, on campus instruction would be expanded the following week).
Families that choose on campus attendance, it will be provided as well; however, access to on campus instruction may be restricted by a school system as described below depending upon the level of COVID-19 hospitalizations as a percentage of total hospitalizations in the Trauma Service Area (TSA).
TSA measurements can be found here.
- See: “Hospitals – Regional” - Region “I”
- Calculate: Lab-Confirmed COVID-19 Patients Currently In Hospital / Total Staffed Hospital Beds
When determining which zone applies on any given day, the prior 7 days daily value must each be at or below the given zone’s threshold. When the region’s COVID19 hospitalization percentage indicates that it would increase to a higher zone, a local school system may (but is not required to) limit on campus instruction as described below, effective immediately (although advance notice to parents is preferable). When dropping to a lower zone, any restrictions of on campus instruction no longer allowed in that zone must stop within roughly 7 days (ie, on campus instruction would be expanded the following week).
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Priority student populations include at least, but are not limited to:
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Parents have choice of instructional delivery method.
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RED ZONE
20%+ TSA Hospitalization Rate
School systems may (but are not required to) restrict access to on campus instruction for all grade levels. However, some on campus instruction must still be provided. Specifically, priority student populations (whose parents choose on campus instruction) must continue to be provided access to on-campus instruction.
Note: Priority HS students can continue to be served solely via a hybrid schedule; and priority MS students can continue to opt into a hybrid schedule as long as those priority MS who wish to attend daily can do so.
School systems may (but are not required to) restrict access to on campus instruction for all grade levels. However, some on campus instruction must still be provided. Specifically, priority student populations (whose parents choose on campus instruction) must continue to be provided access to on-campus instruction.
Note: Priority HS students can continue to be served solely via a hybrid schedule; and priority MS students can continue to opt into a hybrid schedule as long as those priority MS who wish to attend daily can do so.
ORANGE ZONE
15% to 19.9% TSA Hospitalization Rate
School systems may (but are not required to) restrict access to on campus instruction at the MS/HS level, subject to the requirement that priority student populations in MS/HS (whose parents choose on campus instruction) must continue to be provided access to on-campus instruction.
Note: Priority HS students can continue to be served solely via a hybrid schedule; and priority MS students can continue to opt into a hybrid schedule as long as those priority MS who wish to attend daily can do so.
Daily on campus instruction must be provided to all elementary (PK-5) students who wish to attend on campus. In the event that families representing more than 50% of a given campus’s capacity wish to attend on campus, the school system may (but is not required to) restrict access down to 50% of the campus’s capacity.
Priority students must be allowed within that 50% cap.
School systems may (but are not required to) restrict access to on campus instruction at the MS/HS level, subject to the requirement that priority student populations in MS/HS (whose parents choose on campus instruction) must continue to be provided access to on-campus instruction.
Note: Priority HS students can continue to be served solely via a hybrid schedule; and priority MS students can continue to opt into a hybrid schedule as long as those priority MS who wish to attend daily can do so.
Daily on campus instruction must be provided to all elementary (PK-5) students who wish to attend on campus. In the event that families representing more than 50% of a given campus’s capacity wish to attend on campus, the school system may (but is not required to) restrict access down to 50% of the campus’s capacity.
Priority students must be allowed within that 50% cap.
YELLOW ZONE
10% to 14.9% TSA Hospitalization Rate
Daily on campus instruction must be provided to all students who wish to attend on campus in all grade levels (elementary, middle, and high schools).
Less than daily attendance is permitted at HS for schools that have adopted a hybrid model. In the event families representing more than 75% of a given campus’s capacity wish to attend on campus, the school system may (but is not required to) restrict access down to 75% of the campus’s capacity.
Priority students must be allowed within that 75% cap.
Daily on campus instruction must be provided to all students who wish to attend on campus in all grade levels (elementary, middle, and high schools).
Less than daily attendance is permitted at HS for schools that have adopted a hybrid model. In the event families representing more than 75% of a given campus’s capacity wish to attend on campus, the school system may (but is not required to) restrict access down to 75% of the campus’s capacity.
Priority students must be allowed within that 75% cap.
GREEN ZONE
Below 10% TSA Hospitalization Rate
100% of students who elect on-campus instruction must be allowed to be on campus, in all grades, without restriction.
100% of students who elect on-campus instruction must be allowed to be on campus, in all grades, without restriction.
RAPID COVID-19 TESTING
Testing supplies (test kits & PPE) are being provided to schools to help support safe, on campus instruction. Given limited supplies, tests should be made available (on a voluntary basis) only for staff who work on campuses and for students who attend school on campus. The goal is to ensure on campus staff can be tested at least once monthly – and more frequently where campuses have significant levels of on campus attendance – and students can all be tested once (as they start on campus instruction; or if they’ve been attending, once at the start of the testing program).
Red Zone Testing Start – Starting the week of 26 October 2020, any school system already offering on campus instruction to all priority students will have testing made available to them. Sufficient quantity of testing supplies will be provided for all staff working on campus and all students attending on campus. For schools not yet ready to implement on campus instruction to all priority students, the start of testing would be delayed to correspond to the start of on campus instruction.
Orange Zone Testing Start – When PK-5 campuses are largely opened for on campus instruction, sufficient quantity of testing supplies will be provided again for all staff working on campuses and all newly admitted students attending on campus.
Red Zone Testing Start – Starting the week of 26 October 2020, any school system already offering on campus instruction to all priority students will have testing made available to them. Sufficient quantity of testing supplies will be provided for all staff working on campus and all students attending on campus. For schools not yet ready to implement on campus instruction to all priority students, the start of testing would be delayed to correspond to the start of on campus instruction.
Orange Zone Testing Start – When PK-5 campuses are largely opened for on campus instruction, sufficient quantity of testing supplies will be provided again for all staff working on campuses and all newly admitted students attending on campus.
