BRENHAM ISD CONFIDENT IN CURRENT COVID-19 PROCEDURES HEADING INTO WINTER BREAK

  

As Brenham ISD prepares for the final days of the fall semester, district officials say they remain confident in the district’s current COVID-19 procedures.

Brenham ISD COVID-19 Response Leader Jamie Woodall said while new public health guidance from federal and state agencies has led to some adjustments to the district’s protocols, she does not expect major changes to district procedures heading into the spring.  She said, “We have a solid plan that I’m really proud of.”

As of this (Tuesday) morning, Brenham ISD’s COVID-19 dashboard indicated 34 active positive cases spread out across the district’s seven campuses, with a cumulative total of 90 cases reported.  According to Woodall, there were 55 total cases reported as of Monday, November 22^nd, but the number of active cases at that time was unavailable.

Woodall said the district expected a spike in cases after Thanksgiving and felt good about its preparation going into the break.  She noted that many of the cases reported since November 22^nd were found to be individuals that tested positive within the same household.  She said district officials have also begun conversations about the upcoming winter break potentially having a similar result as the Thanksgiving break.

Woodall acknowledged the district was aware of a rumor before Thanksgiving that classes would move to remote-only after the break for the remainder of the fall semester.  She said the information being spread was unsubstantiated and did not come from administration.

Brenham ISD used the Thanksgiving break to deep-clean school buildings, and will do the same over the Christmas holiday.  Woodall said the district is continuing to look into implementing rapid COVID-19 testing as offered by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM).  She said the testing program would not be implemented until the spring.

Woodall said she continues to be proud of staff and students for adhering to the district’s plan of action for COVID-19.  She said instances of close contacts stemming from positive cases have been kept to a minimum, and through contact tracing, a majority of cases have had zero contact outside of the household.  She asked the community to continue to keep a positive attitude and remain patient and understanding in this “ever-changing situation.”