Dear Hays CISD Family,

Parents, volunteers, mentors, business partners, and community members are all essential to the success of our students. The Hays Consolidated Independent School District belongs to the public and our school district family is not complete without the input and participation of everyone. We are proud to be public education and continuously grateful, on behalf of our students, for our parent and community involvement.

Beginning March 1, 2022, our schools will reopen the doors to visitors. This means, in addition to allowing parents to have lunch with their children, we will also begin hosting our monthly Taxpayer Tuesday sessions where business leaders and community organizations can visit our schools to witness, first-hand, the exciting programs, student opportunities, and projects underway in the district. I will also resume hosting campus coffee and conversation sessions with parents and staff. And, we’ll see increased involvement from our PTAs and our education foundation.

Of course, safety will always remain at the top of our list when making decisions. It has been nearly two years since we have been fully open for visitors on campuses. You’ll hear more from your campus principals on the specifics; but we will need to be vigilant with general safety standards, such as making sure everyone on campus, including students, wears their ID badges so we can easily recognize who is allowed to be on our campuses.

I appreciate you and I am thankful to be a part of this school district. We can all take pride in the fact that Hays CISD is a place where people want to come. On Monday, we recorded our highest enrollment in the history of our district – 21,720 students. That is up 1,257 students in just one year. Together, we are building an excellent public education experience for your children and our best days are still ahead.

Sincerely,
Eric Wright
Superintendent   

Dear Hays CISD Family,

Let me first give a huge thank you to all of our school district teachers, staff, parents, and students who have helped to make this latest round of the pandemic as workable as possible. Omicron has been a pretty disruptive variant of COVID, for sure. However, on the whole we have been able to keep school open because we, as a community, are working together. People who are ill or potentially exposed have been doing their part by staying home. And, we have had tremendous support from staff and parents who are willing to help us through staff shortages and stressful days.

Hays CISD in the National Spotlight

Several weeks ago we asked our parents who might be interested in becoming guest teachers to apply. A local story about that made it onto the national news wires and we became sort of a “poster child school district” for what has been a nationwide problem this month. Among the dozens of local and national media inquiries we fielded in the past 20 days was a request from Anderson Cooper’s AC-360 newscast on CNN. The story from national correspondent Eddie Lavandera and producer Ashley Killough aired last night. I want to share it with you because it highlights two of our new substitute teacher parents – Jan Stone and Brian McKinney. Both have had previous classroom experience and both simply wanted to help:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/26/us/texas-school-parents-substitute-teachers/index.html

The story is a wonderful, intimate look at the awesome people who make up Hays CISD. Hays CISD isn’t an abstract thing, nor it is just an intangible governmental body. It’s all of you – all of us – taking the pandemic one-day at a time and working together to manage one circumstance at a time.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

We are still in a pandemic and Omicron is still a danger. However, the numbers appear to be trending in our favor. In a normal year at this time of year, we need about 180 to 185 substitute teachers a day. It’s also normal to see about 80% of those job requests filled. At the height of Omicron, we needed 455 subs in a single day with a job fill rate of only 40%. Last week we averaged about 350 subs we needed each day. Monday and Tuesday of this week, our need for subs fell to 260 a day. Today, it was at 241. All week we’ve seen a fill rate of about 60%. At this pace, we could be close to normal next week. Of course, we’ve learned anything can happen with COVID, but it appears we can see an end to this wave coming very soon. Also, we’re just three weeks away from a four-day student holiday. And, three weeks after that is spring break!

Thank you again to everyone for your continued valiant efforts during an exhausting time. Stay safe!

Eric

Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright spoke extensively during the January Board workshop meeting regarding the district's efforts to respond to COVID.

Watch the Superintendent's Report segment at:
https://hayscisdtx.swagit.com/play/01252022-694 

Dear Hays CISD Family,

Welcome back from what I hope was a relaxing break. When students return to class tomorrow, January 4, 2022, many of you will, no doubt, be thinking about the COVID-19 Omicron variant. During the break, the district has been monitoring developments on this latest COVID variant and has been preparing for contingencies.

The district continues to maintain an updated, central location webpage where you can find current safety plans, case-count dashboards, and other important COVID-related information at: https://www.hayscisd.net/coronavirus.  

Here are some highlights and recent changes as the district prepares to weather the Omicron variant surge:

What the District is Doing

• During the break, the district began installing special air purifiers in every classroom and other strategic places at campuses. The installation will continue during the next several weeks until all campuses are completely covered. The air purifiers will not only aid in neutralizing viruses like COVID and the flu, they are also designed to help reduce other airborne contaminants, including pollen that causes allergies.
• Because of the sharp rise in case counts with the Omicron variant, the district has suspended plans to relax visitor restrictions on campuses during the school day and other safety protocols we had hoped to modify in January.
• The district will continue with the strictest COVID safety protocols allowed by state law and the Texas Education Agency, including regular and vigorous building cleaning and sanitization, strongly encouraging mask wearing, and recommending vaccines and booster shots for those who are eligible.
• The district also continues to monitor cases and maintains a daily case-count dashboard so that you have the information you need to make decisions for you and your families.

What You Can Do 

• Consider getting vaccines and booster shots for you and your children if eligible. This is the first time we are returning to school from a break where most students are eligible for a vaccine. (https://www.vaccines.gov)
• Consider wearing masks
• Stay home if you are symptomatic or believe you have been exposed to COVID-19.
• Remain vigilant with hand washing or hand sanitizing, and other basic flu-season hygiene practices.

New CDC Isolation Protocol

During the break the Centers for Disease Control changed its COVID-19 isolation protocols, which should help in reducing potential staffing shortages at Hays CISD campuses and allow us the best chance to keep operations from being disrupted. These changes are based on continuing research. The isolation period has been reduced from 10 days for people who test positive for COVID to five days – if they are asymptomatic, fever-free for 24 hours, and wear a mask for an additional five days while around others. People who meet the criteria to end isolation after five days, but who do not wish to wear a mask, or are unable to do so for the next five days, must remain home and away from school for the full 10-day isolation period.

Students Who Are Out Sick or Isolated

Students who are out of school with a positive COVID test result, or for close-contact isolation, no longer need to login daily for remote conferencing. This was something the state had required for attendance counting purposes. Since it is no longer necessary, and was burdensome on students and teachers; the district will no longer offer it. Instead, COVID-related absences will be managed as would any other absence for illness. Students can access assignments directly from their teachers to make up missing work. Secondary students can access their assignments in Schoology and elementary students will be able to get assignments in hard copy, or by other means at the teacher’s discretion.

Stronger Together

COVID-19 continues to have a substantial impact on all of us – from frustrations and disruptions of normal routines; to illnesses; and, sadly, for far too many – the loss of loved-ones. We have said throughout the pandemic that we are stronger together and we prove that in our school district community and family each and every day.

We should all prepare for a bit of an uncertain January. We’ll need to give each other continued grace, understanding, and flexibility as we see what unfolds with Omicron. Though the case count numbers are significant with the Omicron variant, we’re optimistic that the trend will hold that symptoms are generally less severe. And, we have more tools to work with and knowledge about the virus this time around.

Schools are among the safest places for students and staff during this pandemic. We’ll keep our focus on doing what we can do about the virus and what we need to do to keep students in class, where we know they have better academic results and social and emotional experiences.

Sincerely,
Tim Savoy
Chief Communication Officer

Dear Parent,

The second shot for those students who received their first shot at the district-sponsored clinics on 11/18 and 11/20 has been scheduled for:

Saturday, December 11, 2021 at

Science Hall Elementary School
1510 Bebee Road
Kyle, TX  78640

This is the only district-sponsored location that will have the 2^nd shot for the 5-11 year old’s. If you are unable to attend, you can seek a 2^nd dose from a local provider by visiting www.vaccine.gov

You MUST sign up for a time slot. 

The link for the sign up genius:  https://www.signupgenius.com/2ndshotbooster

Please make sure you bring your child’s vaccination card.  Print out all of the attached forms (click on form below).

Completely fill them out including your child’s social security number and insurance information. This information is needed for the provider to receive their funding reimbursement. 

Jeri Skrocki
Director of Safety & Security
Hays Consolidated ISD

Minor Consent Form
Covid Consent Form
ImmTrac2 Information

Querido padre,

La segunda vacuna para aquellos estudiantes que recibieron su primera vacuna en las clínicas patrocinadas por el distrito el 18/11 y el 20/11 está programada para:

Sábado 11 de diciembre de 2021 a lasEscuela Primaria Science Hall1510 Bebee RoadKyle, TX 78640

Esta es la única ubicación patrocinada por el distrito que tendrá la segunda oportunidad para los niños de 5 a 11 años. Si no puede asistir, puede buscar una segunda dosis de un proveedor local visitando www.vaccine.gov

DEBE registrarse para un intervalo de tiempo. El enlace para el genio del registro: https://www.signupgenius.com/2ndshotbooster Asegúrese de traer la tarjeta de vacunación de su hijo. Imprima todos los formularios adjuntos (haga clic en el formulario a continuación). Rellénelos por completo, incluido el número de seguro social de su hijo y la información del seguro.Esta información es necesaria para que el proveedor reciba su reembolso de fondos.

Minor Consent Form
Covid Consent Form
ImmTrac2 Information

Jeri Skrocki
Director of Safety & Security
Hays Consolidated ISD