Parent Message from Superintendent Morris-Kuentz

August 13, 2021

Dear Dripping Springs ISD Parents,

We are excited to see our families and students and look forward to the start of the 2021-22 school year. As we prepare for students to return next Tuesday, our strongest desire is to keep healthy campuses, to preserve instruction in our classrooms and drive success, even in the midst of a pandemic.

Last Friday, we shared our return-to-school health protocols with our staff and families; they are posted on our website and we will continue to update them as needed. To that end, I wanted to ensure families are aware of a few key items that expand upon our health protocols:

As we start the year, campuses will not be holding school-wide, indoor assemblies. We will be slower to introduce these while we assess the health of our campus communities. Administrators are considering various scheduling approaches and locations for campus activities that reduce the concentration of students gathering indoors.
We will also begin the year restricting visitors at lunch, at least until after the Labor Day holiday. We have added additional seating options, including outdoor tables, in cafeterias. This temporary delay will allow our campus administrators to get a feel for spacing and capacity in our cafeterias and assess each campus community’s health before adding visitors.
We will reactivate our COVID-19 dashboard next week. It will be updated nightly with active student and staff confirmed COVID-19 cases that have been on our campuses.
Parents should report to the school nurse if a student tests positive for COVID-19. Per TEA, parents must ensure they do not send a child to school on campus if the child has COVID-19 symptoms or is test-confirmed with COVID-19 until the conditions for re-entry are met.
We will continue the practice of sending classroom and bus notifications for all grade levels when a positive case occurs.

In addition, we are aware that there is a state-wide conversation regarding face masks. Dripping Springs ISD continues to monitor the orders from various governmental entities and court systems regarding the use of face masks. We have heard passionate opinions on both sides. Our campus staff will be ready to support learners both masked and unmasked.

We recognize that health authorities recommend masking and vaccinations. We encourage our families to take preventative steps to help reduce their risk level for COVID-19. Please know that each school’s health will only be as successful as our community is at staying healthy, and we appreciate your support.

We all share a common desire to do what is best for our children and collectively we want to see our schools be successful. We look forward to seeing you and your students in school soon!

Sincerely,

Dr. Holly Morris-Kuentz
Superintendent of Schools