• Elementary students will be seated according to a seating plan consistent with social distancing guidelines to the greatest extent possible.
• Students will maintain  social distancing guidelines when coming through the cafeteria line.
• All students are expected to wash hands or use hand sanitizer prior to entering the cafeteria.
• At schools with open lunch for seniors in HS, students are required to wash hands or use hand sanitizer upon their return to school.
• Breakfast and lunch will be served in the cafeteria, except at schools that were a Breakfast in the Classroom campus pre-pandemic. There will be assigned seating for elementary, and students will follow social distancing as space permits.
• Lunch times will be staggered as much as possible to allow for social distancing.

• Desks or tables will be socially distanced at three feet or more when feasible, per CDC guidelines.
• Parents/students may request a desk shield.
• Multiple locations of hand sanitizer will be available throughout classrooms and common areas to minimize student and staff movement.
• High-touch surfaces (i.e. tabletops, chairs, door handles) will be disinfected daily.
• Students are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottle for use throughout the day and expected to take water bottles home to be cleaned on a daily basis.
• Students will be permitted to bring backpacks to class.

Federal, state, and local officials recommend a COVID-19 vaccine helps to lower your chances of getting COVID-19 and spreading it to others. The District is partnering with local organizations to provide COVID-19 vaccine opportunities to students, staff, families, and the community. Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is not required, but strongly encouraged. Local vaccine clinic opportunities are available online.

• The District follows the CDC guidance for cleaning. Round Rock ISD utilizes disinfectants that meet the EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
• If a COVID-19 symptomatic or positive individual has been in the room, cleaning will take place immediately.

Athletics/Fine Arts

• Practices and games/competitions will follow protocols established by UIL Guidelines.In-season and off-season activities will follow the most current guidelines available.
• Coaches/directors will provide an orientation of protocols and expectations for students at the beginning of their respective season(s).
• Parents and students will be expected to provide timely notification of any health concerns to their coach, athletic trainer, or director.
• Sharing of water or sports drinks will not be allowed at any time.
• Booster club meetings should be held virtually or after school hours to minimize outside exposure to campuses.
• Performances/exhibits/games may be adjusted based on prevailing health and safety guidelines from UIL, the Texas Education Agency or local health authorities. Adjustments could impact transportation procedures and the number of attendees.

• Round Rock ISD campuses vary in size, floor plan and population. As a result, movement patterns will vary from campus to campus and decisions related to supervision and bell schedule adjustments will be made by campus administration.
• Students are encouraged to observe and follow school hall traffic flow directions while maintaining social distancing guidelines.
• Students should immediately report to their next class and not congregate in the hallway.

Symptomatic

• Per CDC guidance, students, teachers, and staff should stay home when they have signs of any infectious illness and be referred to their healthcare provider for testing and care, regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not.
• If an individual displays symptoms of COVID-19, in a way that is not normal for them, the individual may be sent home.
• The individual should be fever-free for 24 hours (without fever-reducing medications) and symptoms resolved before returning to campus.

Positive or Probable Case

• Following DSHS guidance, anyone testing positive or is a probable case must isolate until at least ten days have passed since symptom onset and at least 24 hours have passed since the resolution of fever without medication and other symptoms have improved. (A probable case is defined as someone with COVID-19 symptoms AND a close contact to a person who is a lab-confirmed case.)
• A case review will be completed for all positive or probable cases.
• All positive or probable cases will be reported to the local health department and close contacts will be identified and notified.
• Please report using the district’s COVID-19 self reporting tool.
• A probable case may only return to campus/work with a doctor’s note, NOT a negative test.

An individual who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 does NOT need to stay home if:

1. Has had COVID-19 illness within the past 3 months AND
2. Has recovered AND
3. Has had improvement in COVID-19 symptoms (i.e. cough or shortness of breath)

Close Contact

• The CDC defines close contact to include anyone who came within six feet of an infected individual for at least 15 minutes over a 24 hour period.
  • Exception (per the CDC): In the K–12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were within three to six feet of an infected student (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) where
    • both students were engaged in consistent and correct use of well-fitting masks; and
    • Other K–12 school prevention strategies (such as universal and correct mask use, physical distancing, increased ventilation) were in place in the K–12 school setting.
    • This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting.
• Health officials strongly recommend that an individual who is a close contact quarantine following the guidance below.
  Anyone who is unvaccinated and has had contact with someone that has tested positive is strongly encouraged to quarantine as follows, per CDC guidance:
  • Return to campus after day 10 without testing, or
  • Return to campus after day 7 after receiving a negative test result (test must occur on day 5 or later).
• An individual who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19 should stay home for 10 days after their last exposure to that person.  However, anyone who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19 and who meets the following criteria does NOT need to stay home:
  • Someone who has been fully vaccinated and shows no symptoms of COVID-19. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested 3-5 days after their exposure, even if they don’t have symptoms and wear a mask indoors in public for 10 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.
    Or
  • Those who have been confirmed positive within the last three months will not be required to quarantine, unless they are showing symptoms of COVID-19.

All students, teachers, staff members and adult visitors, including Trustees, must wear masks on buses and while inside school buildings during the regular day when six feet of distance cannot be maintained. Students and staff have the option to remove their masks while seated in cafeterias and staff lunchrooms and while outdoors. Masks may be removed for activities during athletics, fine arts, and physical education classes if deemed appropriate by the coach, director or instructor. 

Individuals with health or developmental circumstances may opt-out by submitting documentation. For exemptions, parents, guardians and staff must complete their respective forms. Once completed, parents and guardians will submit a PDF copy of their documentation or provide appropriate documentation through the Mask Exemption Document Form. Staff will turn in their completed form and/or appropriate documentation into their immediate supervisor.

• The District will maintain a COVID-19 Dashboard on the District’s website, updating daily with student and staff cases.
• Round Rock ISD will communicate with families via email regarding any positive case or probable case on the campus.
• Students in the same elementary classroom as a positive or probable case will be notified.

• Buses will resume operating at full capacity, however, seating charts will be required.
• At the bus stop, students should practice social distancing, whenever possible.
• Members of the same household are encouraged to sit together.
• Students should not share food, drinks, or personal devices.
• Buses will be disinfected at the end of the day.
• A/C air filters are cleaned and changed regularly.

• Round Rock ISD has modified operating parameters of the HVAC equipment in order to introduce more outside air into the buildings during occupied times. Between occupancy, outside air is being used to “flush” building spaces. Exhaust fans are being used, where possible, to assist with the exchange rate.
• Round Rock ISD controls humidity levels in our occupied spaces to remain below 60%.
• HVAC systems are equipped with improved filtration to reduce the spread of airborne illnesses. Constantly commission the HVAC systems to ensure the systems are operating according to design.

• To help ensure the physical safety of students and staff, Round Rock ISD will limit visitor access for elementary and middle school during school hours to those deemed essential. Essential visitors include:
  • Guest Educators
  • Student Teachers, Student Nurses, Interns, Observers
  • Tutors and Mentors
  • Contractors
  • Emergency personnel
  • Brinks Security
  • Food Service Vendors/Deliveries
  • Mail Delivery (front office only)
  • Others as determined by Campus Administration
• Campuses will utilize virtual meeting options to limit campus visitors when possible. All visitors who enter the building are encouraged to wear a face-covering.
• Before or after school hours, non-essential visitors may participate in campus activities.

• Students are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottle for use throughout the day and expected to take water bottles home to be cleaned on a daily basis.
• Students will not drink directly from water fountains.