While Northeast Texas Public Health District’s (NET Health) most recent 7-Day Rolling Rate of COVID-19 shows a significant rise and places Smith County in the Substantial Community Spread Level, Tyler ISD wants to assure students, parents, and the community that our facilities are safe. Since the beginning of the school year, the number of positive cases across the District among students and staff has never been more than .8% or eight-tenths of one percent.
Tyler ISD Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford attributes the district’s success minimizing spread among its campuses to its strong health and safety protocols, sanitization efforts, and most of all, the diligence of staff and students to adhere to these protocols.
“Our campus, custodial, and transportation staff, and really the whole school system that accounts for around 20,000 people in the Tyler community, have done a tremendous job in helping combat illness across the District,” Crawford said. “Our daily efforts to clean and sanitize learning spaces, practice safe hygiene routines, requiring face coverings for all students and staff, and other protocols enforced during the school day are keeping a large section of the Tyler community safe for the eight plus hours they are on our campuses.”
Recent numbers reported by NET Health indicate a significant increase in positive COVID-19 cases in Smith County, due to what some experts partly attribute to recent Fall/Halloween activities and gatherings. Tyler ISD supports the efforts of NET Health to inform our community about COVID-19 risks during the upcoming fall and winter holidays.
Dr. Crawford encourages students, staff, and families, along with the Tyler community, to remain diligent in following healthy practices and protocols after the school day, on weekends, and over the holidays.
To date, contact tracing for confirmed COVID-19 cases within Tyler ISD continues to point to outside school activities as origin of infection, and District quarantine procedures are helping to prevent spread on campuses.
“Coming together with family and friends is often an important part of celebrating the holiday season,” Tyler ISD Director of Health Services Rachel Barber said. “When traveling or gathering with loved ones, we recommend that you follow CDC guidelines and recommendations as much as possible to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19 spread among family and friends, and potentially our Tyler ISD family.”
A full list of CDC travel and gathering tips and guidelines can be found here.
For more information please visit TylerISD.org/ReturnToSchool or contact Jennifer Hines at 903-262-1064.