WilCo Officials Outline Back-To-School Guidance Amid Coronavirus

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Health district officials have outlined safety standards as teachers and students face the prospect of returning to classes during the coronavirus pandemic.

"As schools look to their options for offering classes this fall, many have asked the Williamson County and Cities Health District to make a determination as to whether it is safe to offer on-campus classes, and what 'safe' might look like in terms of hard numbers," officials wrote in an advisory. "We realize that this is a complex issue, and that there is a need to balance the immediate threat of COVID-19 with consideration for other important health factors, like social and emotional development, childcare, and physical activity."

To that end, health district officials and school administrators are collaborating to address concerns and determine the best way to assess risk and decisions using available evidence, officials said.

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in the Austin area. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

On July 24, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance stressing on-campus reopenings should be prioritized wherever possible, but that schools in COVID-19 “hotspots” should consider delaying the start of on-campus classes, health district officials said. During a conference call with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials, hot spots were defined as areas with 5 or higher test positivity rates, officials explained.

"While there are encouraging signs that community-based viral transmission may be starting to plateau or even decline, COVID-19 is still rampant across Central Texas, including here in Williamson County," health district officials noted. "Our current countywide testing positivity rate is 17.58 percent — over three times the threshold for a 'hotspot' Our current rate of new cases is averaging around 12 per 100,000 people per day — nearly 17 times higher than the CDC’s threshold for 'low incidence.' "

Related story: Texas Warns Health Authorities Not To Inhibit School Enrollment

Given such levels of viral activity, increased social contact through on-campus classes and extracurricular activities still has the potential to result in more infections and additional spread of the coronavirus, health district officials said, including the possibility of hospitalizations and deaths among those in close contact.

"While prevalence of acute illness tends to be higher in other age groups, schoolchildren comprise around 8 percent of all known cases, and may transmit the virus to others, including at-risk teachers, staff, friends, and family," health district officials said. "As such, remote/virtual learning carries the least risk for the spread of COVID-19, due to reduced social contact."

Local officials invoked a ruling by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton barring health authorities to issue orders inhibiting enrollment as preemptive strike to prevent illness spread. Instead, Paxton instructed school districts to follow previously issued Texas Education Agency guidance on returning to school.

Notwithstanding the ruling: "School administrators know their communities, and can best determine what level of risk is acceptable to their particular constituency," health district officials said. As a result, Williamson County and Cities Health District officials are working with schools to develop local guidance on:

• How school systems might re-open, to include the possibility of a delayed start for on-campus, face-to-face instruction and extracurricular activities until a decline in community-based transmission is demonstrated according to specific indicators, like a two-week decline in new cases and decreased test positivity rate.
• Virtual instruction, per a school system’s own plan.
• School plans to minimize the potential for disease spread once on-campus instruction and activities resume.

"Since the virus crosses boundaries and jurisdictions just as people do, this collaborative, coordinated effort by all of the County’s ISDs and schools is the best approach to halt the virus’ spread across our county and region," officials said.

As further guidance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with the Texas Education Agency have provided guidance on risk and planning for schools and extracurricular activities like team sports:

• Considerations for schools
• Consideration for youth sports
• Preparing K-12 school administrators for a safe return to school in fall 2020
• Coronavirus support and guidance

For more information and updates, visit the Williamson County and Cities Health District website.