Tyler Reporter

Arp ISD issued the following announcement on July 1

Hello Arp Tigers!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!  Here at Arp ISD we have been steadily preparing for the upcoming 2020-21 school year.   We, like all other school districts, are closely monitoring COVID-19.  Arp ISD realizes that COVID-19 is a Global Pandemic, and we are prepared to implement extra safety precautions in order to keep our school community as safe as possible.  We are currently preparing our facilities and our employees for a safe return to school.  As always, the safety and security of our students and staff are our top priorities.  We are making plans right now that will help keep our students and faculty as safe as possible from COVID-19.  Here are just a few things that we are planning in preparation for our return to school:

Classrooms

• Hand hygiene will be taught beginning day one.  Every classroom will have a hand sanitizer stand for student and employee access.  We will also have these stands at every bathroom entrance.  Additional stands will be placed strategically throughout our schools.  Washing hands daily will become a routine exercise for students and staff.
• Students, teachers, and staff will be allowed to wear face masks.
• Students will be encouraged to use face masks when in close proximity with others.  Examples:  lab partners or group activities
• Students will be spaced apart as much as possible to help with social distancing.
• We are implementing an extensive cleaning and sanitizing plan for our facilities.  In addition to our normal building cleaning protocols, we will be treating our high traffic areas with a disinfectant fogger each evening after our buildings are empty.  This treatment is very similar to what we do during the peak flu season. 
• Microband Wax, which contains a germicide, was used on floors this summer, essentially killing any germs that come in contact with our floors. 

Bus/Transportation

• Our buses will be cleaned after every trip, morning and evening.  Bus seats will be wiped down with an approved disinfectant.
• Students will be encouraged to use face masks while riding Arp ISD buses. 
• Students on buses will be spaced apart as much as possible.
• Parents and families will be encouraged to use personal vehicles as much as possible to decrease the number of students on buses.

Cafeteria 

• Students in the cafeteria will be spaced apart as much as possible.
• Our K-8 students will travel and sit in a single direction as much as possible while in the cafeteria.
• The high school will utilize the entire commons area during lunch periods.
• Lunch times will be altered to allow fewer students in the cafeteria at one time.
• Cafeteria tables will be cleaned after each use.

Hallways

• Elementary students will walk in single file lines, with as much space between students as possible.
• During passing periods our Secondary students will walk on the right side of the hallways to help prevent close face to face contact.
• Bathroom occupancy will be kept at a minimum.  Bathroom occupancy will be monitored by a staff member.

Because circumstances sometimes seem to change every hour as we navigate this pandemic, it’s entirely possible that events and information may change after this letter is released to the Arp community.  Updated information may be found on our Arp ISD website:  www.arpisd.org as well as on our school social media sites.  Follow @ArpISD on Twitter for district wide announcements.

The resiliency of Texas public school educators is unmatched.  The Arp ISD faculty and staff have proven that we are fully capable of rising to any challenge.  Please know that Arp ISD is looking forward to having students back in our buildings August 19th!  We love our Arp Tigers and we are preparing to have a great school year!   

“SUCCESS IS NOT FINAL.   FAILURE IS NOT FATAL. IT IS THE COURAGE TO CONTINUE THAT COUNTS.” - Winston Churchill

Original source can be found here.