Published July 14, 2020

Texas Teachers for Safe Reopening

Concerns for Returning to On-Campus Instruction

I. General Concerns For All Public Classrooms

A. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Federal Law
1. OSHA guidelines state an employer must provide a safe work
space for the employee
a) Ability of school districts to meet the suggested Texas
Education Agency (TEA) guidelines
(1) Ability to create “socially distanced” spaces for
learning, within standard-sized classrooms, to meet
needs for all students attending schools
(2) Sanitizing of all surfaces used for instructional
purposes between class periods
(3) Adequate provision of sanitizing materials (i.e. hand
sanitizer, antibacterial and antiviral disinfectant spray)
or barrier materials (i.e. face masks, disposable latex
gloves) for all teachers, students, and staff on site,
during the school day.
B. What happens when children or adults on campus test positive for
COVID-19 after attending in-person classes?
C. Ability for non-education personnel to continue to work remotely
1. State and local government officials are working remotely and can
continue to do so.
2. TEA can work remotely, continuing to support certified staff and
public education institutions.
3. Local school district officials can work remotely, supporting district
instructional staff and campus operations when possible.
D. Essential businesses continue to operate with reduction-in-patronage
guidelines (how can schools follow parallel guidelines)
1. Beginning-of-year professional development is being administered
through virtual outlets, retooling the ongoing learning experience for
certified instructional staff.
2. Bars are closed to reduce opportunities for community spread of
virus infection.
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3. Restaurants are asked to operate with in-house dining at maximum

25% capacity to reduce opportunities for community spread of virus
infection.
E. Holding in-person classes does not remedy the child-care issue if schools
are opening and closing as outbreaks occur.
1. Intermittent closures, dependent on state-issued infection caution
levels, cause a larger issue for parents who report to
brick-and-mortar locations for work than if districts opt for online
only.
2. A lack of guarantee is present for those educators who cannot
negotiate child care and maintain their contractual obligations under
such extraordinary circumstances.
F. STAAR/EOC Administration
1. $90,000,000 is allocated annually for the STAAR/EOC Battery
administration
2. There is no present guarantee to ensure secure administration of
the STAAR/EOC Battery without teacher-to-student administration
in a brick-and-mortar facility.
3. STAAR/EOC guidelines do not include recommendations for “social
distancing.”
4. STAAR/EOC guidelines would be nearly impossible to follow if all
students in a particular grade level/course were assigned to test on
the same day while maintaining safety guidelines, proper spacing,
and faculty availability.
G. Trustworthiness of self-screening
1. Parents sending their children to school after administering fever
reducing medications
2. Denial of unmeasurable/undetectable symptoms
3. Concern of spreading the virus prior to showing symptoms (or mild
symptoms that go unnoticed depending on guidelines
4. Need for a standard document for parents to follow regarding
self-screening.
H. Students meeting requirements for free or reduced lunch may not be able
to acquire PPE to wear in educational settings (when they aren’t able to
provide basic necessities and/or school supplies).
I. Special Education
1. ARD Meetings/504 Hearings: These meetings are regularly held
over the phone (when parents are unable to attend in person due to
Published July 14, 2020

work, etc.) and were successfully held virtually during Spring

closures.
2. Resource classes to meet accommodations
3. Inclusion/Co-teach classes to meet accommodations
4. Self-Contained(Adaptive Behavior, Life Skills, Medically Fragile) to
meet accommodations
a) Feeding
b) Toileting
c) Restraining
d) Transferring
5. Occupational Therapy
6. Physical Therapy
7. Speech Therapy
8. Paraprofessional support demands close proximity to students.
J. Counseling and Psychological Services
1. Anxiety/fear of the situation as a whole
2. Grief over loss of classmates and/or teachers
3. Grief over loss of family members
4. Psychological impact of having trusted adults reject required close
contact/proximity to students
K. Health and Wellness Checks for Staff
1. How will these be implemented?
2. Who is responsible for monitoring that this is being done?
3. Daily basis at the beginning of every in-person school day?
L. Substitute Teachers
1. There is often a lack of adequate numbers of substitute teachers to
cover classes.
a) In the above scenario, classes are often divided among
remaining available teachers, resulting in even larger class
sizes and less distance between students.
2. When teachers become sick with COVID-19 and/or have to
quarantine due to exposure, this will cause a lack of continuity of
instruction.
3. Securing long term subs for extended absences (ie. maternity
leave, etc.) may become a problem.
4. There are many substitute teachers that accept substitute teaching
positions on multiple campuses. If they test positive, it will result in
multiple campuses being forced to close.
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M. Duty station assignments may increase teachers’ exposure to COVID-19.

Some duty stations (i.e. hall duty) require monitoring hundreds of
students during a passing period without the ability to follow
recommended social distancing.
N. Funding for Remote Learning
1. Technology
2. Professional Learning
O. Doubled workload if required to teach both in-person and online (for those
families that opt-out of in-person schooling)
1. Smaller districts
a) Teachers are already over-extended by having to teach
multiple preps
2. Preparing for and conducting in-person teaching and online
teaching are not the same and will require more preparation time
and/or additional staff. Teachers also need professional
development to help with lesson design for online learning.
P. COVID-19 Sick Days
1. Workman’s Compensation
a) The state/district has been well informed of the inherent risk
and is still requiring teachers to report in-person
2. CARES Act
a) Covers 80 hours of work
3. State and local leave days
a) Teachers should not be expected to use these days when
the state is aware of the risk and is choosing to reopen
schools in a manner contrary to recommended safety
guidelines.
4. The district/state could be held liable in the event of a teacher’s
death, or the death of a member of the household, as a direct result
of COVID-19 exposure while on-campus
Q. The district/state should be required to cover/reimburse school employees
for all out-of-pocket medical expenses for themselves and their household
members as a result of an on-campus exposure to COVID-19 infection.
R. During a Forced Quarantine
1. Will a substitute teacher take over the in-person class?
a) Will the teacher be forced to use state/local sick/personal
days?
2. Will the teacher be required to continue providing instruction
online?
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3. If the teacher continues providing online instruction, they should not

be penalized for not working.
4. How will forced quarantine of students/staff impact the rest of the
school?
a) To what extent will forced quarantine of an adult or student
impact the rest of the school?
S. Re-opening in-person schools could create a surge in cases due to groups
gathering that are in violation of social distancing guidelines.
1. Class sizes are larger than recommended group sizes.
2. Students can not maintain recommended distance in the classroom
or halls, especially if all students on campus at the same time.
T. Potential HIPAA violations for disclosing a student or staff member has
tested positive for COVID-19.
U. Accommodations for teachers with medical history which places them in
the at-risk group (including, but not limited to, pregnant and nursing
mothers)
1. Potential HIPAA violations related to mandatory disclosure of
medical history
2. Priority for providing online instruction
a) Working from home
V. Teachers with family members in the home or whose care they provide
with medical history which places them in the at-risk group
1. Potential HIPAA violations related to mandatory disclosure of
medical history
2. Priority for providing online instruction
a) Working from home
W. Restroom usage and sanitation for staff and students
1. How often will sanitation take place? What will this look like?
2. Extra custodial staff needed and trained on new sanitizing
procedures
X. Teachers’ Lounges
1. Shared use of refrigerators and microwaves
2. There is not enough space to distance from other adults during
duty-free lunch, and eating in the classroom could potentially be
additional exposure.
Y. Transportation
1. Parent Drop-off/Carpooling
2. Riders & Walkers
3. Bus Riders
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Z. Visitors to campuses
1. VIPS
2. PTO/PTA
3. Other volunteer parents
4. District personnel that support campuses
5. Academic coaches/ consultants
AA. Lack of hallway space to allow for distancing
BB. Lack recourse if students refuse to comply with safety measures
1. Action if student refuses to socially distance or wear face covering
2. Action if family wants to opt out of safety precautions
CC. Before and after school tutorials in person
1. Ability to meet safety requirements
2. Compensation for extended possible exposure
3. Compensation for remote tutorials?
DD. Physical campus needs
1. Adequate ventilation
2. Adequate filtration installed in all recirculated air systems
3. Individual student desks vs. tables
EE. Libraries
1. Book check-out and sanitation
2. Equipment check-out and sanitation
FF. Custodial staff
1. Number of staff needed to sanitize a full classroom between each
class
2. Funding for the increased supplies needed to sanitize
3. Adequate supplies to provide for sanitization all school year. What
happens in the event of a shortage?
4. Proper PPE for all custodial staff
II. Elementary School
A. PPE Requirements
1. N95 masks for ALL staff
2. Masks for children ages 10 and up?
a) Minimum of face shield for ages 3-10, and those with
documented conditions that prohibit the wearing of a
mask(SPD, Anxiety, Asthma(in some cases, Autism(in some
cases)
B. Sharing of devices and other supplies
C. Leave necessitated by teacher’s children in forced quarantine
D. Handling of Mandatory Safety Drills
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E. Recess
F. Specials/Outclasses
1. Physical Education
a) Number of students in gymnasium
b) Equipment sharing
2. Music
3. Art
4. Computer Lab
5. STEM Lab
6. Intervention Groups
III. Secondary
A. Extracurricular and Cocurricular activities
1. Indoor athletics
2. Outdoor athletics
3. Other UIL sanctioned activities
B. Career and Technology Labs & Shops
1. Sharing of equipment
2. Sanitation of equipment
C. Leave necessitated by teacher’s children in forced quarantine
D. Handling of Mandatory Safety Drills
E. Science labs
F. Teachers that float between classrooms or between campuses
G. Electives
1. LOTE
a) ASL
(1) Students frequently practice the language in groups
or with partners.
b) Other LOTEs
(1) Students frequently practice speaking the language in
groups or with partners.
2. CTE
a) Practicum hours and internships: Students may not be able
to earn hours in these programs when businesses are
working remotely.
(1) Computer Labs
(2) Shops
(3) Cosmetology
(4) Culinary
3. Fine Arts
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a) Visual Arts
(1) Students frequently share supplies in these programs
- how will those supplies (especially sensitive
electronic equipment) be sanitized?
b) Performing Arts
(1) Some of these classes require students to share
equipment.
(2) How will these students and staff establish
recommended social distance (i.e. band and choir)?
(3) Students cannot play many of the instruments while
wearing face coverings.
H. Class changes and class size
1. Hallways are too narrow to allow recommended social distancing.
2. Schools with stairwells have bottlenecks during class changes
where students are side by side and within inches of each others’
faces. Many teachers are also required to do hall duty in this
scenario.
3. The same close proximity occurs as students and staff exit
classrooms and buildings during safety drills.
4. Teachers have four to seven classes per day with fifteen (if partial
student body attending on certain days) to thirty (or more) students
per day. This creates exposure to 60-210 (or more) students per
day.
I. Lunch time
1. There is not adequate space in the cafeteria for students and staff
to maintain recommended social distance.
2. Sanitization and disinfecting of all surfaces must occur between all
lunch periods.
3. Interaction of students with cafeteria workers, food, and surfaces.
J. Students are on campus before and after the school day. They arrive
early and stay late, often due to the timing of available transportation in
their family.
1. What measures will be taken to maintain a safe and healthy
environment for all during these times?
2. How will disinfecting of surfaces be assured after the last student
leaves?
3. What adult supervision will be provided to help maintain social
distancing and face covering guidelines?
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IV. Alternative Campuses (DAEP, AB Centers, Progressive Centers)

A. Substitute Teachers
B. Handling of Mandatory Safety Drills
V. Hypothetical Scenarios
A. An elementary grade-level teacher tests positive for COVID-19 and has to
quarantine for 14 days. The entire class, approximately 20 students, was
exposed. The students must quarantine for 14 days also. Parents must
stay home with the children.
B. An elementary special program teacher tests positive for COVID-19 and
has to quarantine for 14 days. The entire student body must also
quarantine for 14 days as all students in all grade-levels rotate through
these classrooms and gymnasiums. Parents must stay home with the
children.
C. A secondary teacher tests positive for COVID-19 and has to quarantine for
14 days. Students in all 4 to 7 classes (daily), approximately between
180-240 (or more) students, were exposed. The students must quarantine
for 14 days also.