Click here to watch Dr. Stone’s July 29 Superintendent’s Update.
Highlights include:
- RISD staff have been continuing their efforts over the summer, finishing up summer school for a record number of students and preparing for the first day of school on August 17.
- The district will welcome new teachers and employees to the district next week, and returning teachers will arrive back in schools in two weeks.
- RISD is finalizing The Blueprint: RISD’s Back-To-School Plan 2021-2022 of health and safety protocols, which will be in compliance with state requirements from the governor and Texas Education Agency as they currently exist. If TEA or the governor changes requirements or what school districts are permitted to do, then the district will re-evaluate health precautions and protocols and make any changes as needed.
- Beyond state requirements, RISD’s primary blueprint guide will be Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local public health authority recommendations for in-person PK-12 school and activities.
- To reiterate, school districts cannot require masks under the governor’s order, and RISD will be strongly encouraging the wearing of masks for all students and staff while indoors during the school day based on recommendations for schools from both national and local public health authorities.
- Along with the back to school blueprint publication, RISD will also publish a video next week that will provide more context behind different parts of the blueprint, and also address many of the questions that parents have asked in recent weeks.
- Echoing public health authorities as COVID cases are again rising and COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths are now almost entirely among unvaccinated people, RISD is again encouraging eligible students and staff to get vaccinated. Vaccination protects not just the person being vaccinated, but can also help protect people who cannot become vaccinated, including our students under the age of 12.
- RISD is hosting another vaccination opportunity for students and staff on Thursday, August 5, at the RISD Administration Building.
- District partner and state-approved vaccinator GeneIQ will be administering the Pfizer vaccine at no cost to participants between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
