THANK YOU, TEACHERS! We want to take a moment to acknowledge all of the amazing teachers in HD108 during Teacher Appreciation Week. This pandemic has highlighted the monumental role teachers play in our community, and they deserve our gratitude now more than ever. Thank you, to the educators who continually go above and beyond, who adapt to overcome new challenges, and who serve not only as instructors, but as role models for our kids.
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE:
RE-OPENING TEXAS
MAY 8, 2020
Dear Friends,
Below is our latest wrap-up of important information for you and your family.
RE-OPENING TEXAS
Governor Abbott held a press conference earlier this week to discuss further steps in the reopening of Texas. Hair salons, barbershops, nail salons and tanning salons will be able to reopen on 5/8 with at least 6 feet between workstations. Swimming pools can also reopen on Friday at limited capacity. The Governor announced that on May 18, several other businesses will be allowed to reopen under certain conditions, including maintaining a distance of 6 ft. between people.
• Gyms can open at 25% occupancy, though the facilities will need to disinfect equipment between use and clients will need to wear gloves and maintain social distance. Showers and locker rooms at gyms must remain closed.
• Nonessential manufacturers may also resume production if they keep occupancy at 25%
• Office buildings may open up at 25% capacity or five or less workers, whichever is greater.
• Bars will remain closed for now as the state works on ways to establish “safe distancing” at the establishments.
• Wearing a mask in public is not required but remains strongly encouraged.
• More information on the phased reopening and guidance for businesses and patrons of businesses can be found on the Governor’s “Open Texas” website.
• Governor Abbott issued an executive order today, 5/7, that eliminated confinement as a punishment for violating previous orders related to COVID-19 business closures and distancing guidelines. These modifications are being applied retroactively, meaning- according to Abbott- anyone who had been confined due to noncompliance with COVID-19 orders will now be released from confinement.
COVID TESTING
Also during the press conference, Governor Abbott gave an updated picture of the COVID-19 testing in Texas. As of Tuesday, there were 33,369 positive cases in Texas and 906 deaths related to the disease. Cases considered recovered now number 16,791. The Governor reported that Texas ranks third nationwide in number of recoveries and that recoveries now outnumber the amount of active cases. Given these numbers, Abbott said that the percentage of positive cases is decreasing as testing improves across the state.
The number of tests per day is increasing, with about 19,000 tests administered on Tuesday alone. According to Governor Abbott, 95% of Texans tested in recent days have come back as negative. The state is still working to increase testing capacity to be able to test as many as 30,000 people each day.
The Dallas testing sites at the American Airlines Center and the Ellis David Field House have expanded the criteria to allow testing of grocery stores employees or employees of other essential retail regardless of symptoms. They will also administer tests to any first responders, DART drivers, and healthcare workers regardless of symptoms. Other who can be tested are those 65+, those with chronic health issues or those with a temperature of 99.6+, shortness of breath or a cough.
OUR SCHOOLS
Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa held a press conference on Monday to discuss the various options being considered for the 2020/2021 school year. He noted three different plans- summarized below:
Plan A: Re-open campuses for in-classroom learning on the start of the Fall semester in August. Superintendent Hinojosa said he believes this option is highly unlikely given where we are and what we know right now.
Plan B: Continue with an “all online learning” approach to the semester with no on campus instruction.
Plan C: The semester would be a “blended learning opportunity” in which there would be some combination of online learning and in-class instruction. Hinosoja said this version is the one he sees as the most likely to occur. Numerous factors would need to be taken into account to make sure students are safe, including recommendations from health officials, the availability of personal protection equipment in place and the ability to transport students while maintaining proper distancing protocol.
Highland Park ISD leadership is also creating various contingency plans for the fall semester, and is updating their website frequently with COVID-19 related information and resources.
RESOURCES FOR TEXAS WORKERS & BUSINESSES
Texas Workforce Commission offered further information and guidance for applying for unemployment benefits on a call this week. All 8 of their call centers are up and running and staffed by over 1,000 people. Their staff is working hard to ensure that they are processing claims as quickly as possible. Since the week of March 14th, over 2.2 million claims have gone through. They’ve made updates to their website and chatbots in an effort to avoid slowing down the web portal during busy access times.
Our office has been assisting those with questions about eligibility and the claims process and helping make sure claims are handled quickly and correctly. If you need assistance with TWC, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at the contact information provided at the end of this email.
Governor Abbott also issued an Executive Order with new guidance for the Texas Workforce Commission. Under this guidance, Texans can continue to receive unemployment benefits throughout the COVID-19 response if they choose not to return to work for certain reasons as specified by TWC.Each unemployment insurance claim is currently evaluated on an individual basis. However, because of the COVID-19 emergency, the following are reasons benefits would be granted if the individual refused suitable work.
• At High Risk: People 65 years or older are at a higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19.
• Household member at high risk: People 65 years or older are at a higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19.
• Diagnosed with COVID: The individual has tested positive for COVID-19 by a source authorized by the State of Texas and is not recovered.
• Family member with COVID: Anybody in the household has tested positive for COVID-19 by a source authorized by the State of Texas and is not recovered and 14 days have not yet passed.
• Quarantined: Individual is currently in 14-day quarantine due to close contact exposure to COVID-19.
• Child care: Child’s school or daycare closed and no alternatives are available.
• Any other situation will be subject to a case by case review by TWC based on individual circumstances.
As a reminder, we’ve set up a COVID-19 webpage in coordination with the United Way.
We encourage you visit the page to submit your questions, requests for assistance or to learn more about how to help those in our community who are deeply impacted by this crisis.
I’ll send further updates and information as needed. In the meantime, should you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reply to this email or call us at (469) 554-0428.
Sincerely,
