In accordance with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order, effective June 5, 2021, students, staff, parents, and visitors will no longer be required to wear masks in schools or in District buildings.  Masks are optional on all FBSID campuses and facilities. FBISD welcomes mask use and supports personal choice in mask wearing (whether someone chooses to wear a mask or not to wear a mask). Personal choice about mask wearing is to be respected at all times by all staff, students, parents, and visitors. FBISD appreciates the value of wearing a properly fitted mask. Face coverings protect not only the wearer, but also significantly reduce the risk for spreading of disease.   

No. Staff and students will not be required to submit a personal health assessment daily.  However, health screening is important in supporting safety and physical health when accessing district facilities.  In support of this effort, FBISD has provided staff and families information on how to screen for COVID-19 symptoms each day before reporting to work or face-to-face instruction. Staff and students will not be required to submit their self-health screening results daily unless they test positive for COVID-19.

Staff and students should self-report testing positive for COVID-19 via the FBISD Wellness Screener. 

No. By entering a District facility, all visitors will confirm they do not have COVID-19 symptoms and have not tested positive for COVID-19 in the last ten days.

Students and staff are not required to submit a personal health assessment daily.  However, staff and students will report if they test positive for COVID-19by completing the FBISD Wellness Screener.

Each campus will communicate specific visitor guidelines to their school community as guidelines may vary by campus due to utilization and uniqueness.

FBISD will employ, when possible, social distancing as a mitigation effort when the need arises based on COVID-19 data. Fort Bend ISD will continuously review safety needs due to COVID-19 as well as recommendations from the CDC and will continue to make recommendations for the health and safety of our students and staff. If the need arises, social distancing of at least three (3) feet of distance will be kept between students and/or adults when possible:

• Between adults in the school building and between adults and students.
• Between all students in the school building.
• In common areas, such as hallways, school lobbies and auditoriums.

Cleaning and disinfecting are part of a broad approach to preventing infectious diseases in schools.  Following CDC, TEA, OSHA, and other public health guidelines, Fort Bend ISD has established protocols to keep buildings safe and clean. When a situation warrants, the district will enact disinfection measures, notifying the occupants of that building in advance, as appropriate. Fort Bend ISD will align cleaning protocols with guidance from national, state, and local authorities to help ensure students and staff are provided safe and healthy learning and working environments. Fort Bend ISD’s approach to providing a safe learning environment for all students and staff involves frequent and ongoing cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting of campuses and District buildings. Cleaning and disinfecting are part of a broad approach to preventing the exposure and spread of infectious diseases in schools. The process of cleaning combined with disinfecting effectively works to minimize the spread of infection.

FBISD will adjust cleaning protocols as needed. Disinfectants used by the custodial staff are on the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of Disinfectants for Use against SARSCoV-2 (COVID) and the standard procedures for routine cleaning and disinfecting will be followed. This will include the cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and objects that are touched often throughout the school day.

Yes. Playground structures are open for student use during the school day. Students are encouraged to wash their hands before and after playing on playgrounds structures. If soap and water are not available, hand sanitizer can be used.

Consistent with school notification requirements for other communicable diseases, and consistent with legal confidentiality requirements, FBISD will notify all teachers, staff, and families of all students in a classroom or extracurricular or after-school program cohort if a test-confirmed COVID-19 case is identified among students, teachers or staff who participated in those classrooms or cohorts.

Student That is a Close Contact

Local public health entities have authority to investigate cases and are currently engaged in cooperative efforts. Participation by individuals in these investigations remains voluntary. If FBISD is made aware that a student is a close contact, the district will notify the student’s parents.  Close contact determinations are generally based on guidance outlined by the CDC, which notes that individuals who are fully vaccinated may not need to follow the stay-at home period.

Parents of students who are determined to be a close contact of an individual with COVID-19 may opt to keep their students at home during the recommended stay-at-home period. In cases when it is permitted, parents who opt to send their children to school in the two weeks following exposure are encouraged to closely monitor their children for symptoms. If the parent chooses to quarantine their child; the child may return to school from quarantine:

• After 10 days of being symptom-free with no test
• After 5 days, following receipt of a negative COVID-19 Test (test must occur on day 5 or later) and being symptom-free

Staff That is a Close Contact

Staff who have been in close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual and are in one of the following groups, do not need to stay at home.

• Fully vaccinated
• Confirmed COVID-19 positive within the last 90 days and has fully recovered

Staff who have been in close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual who are not in one of the above groups, are recommended to follow CDC quarantine guidelines.

The district refers staff, students, and families to the CDC’s Travel Guidelines for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals that travel internationally.  

Student Who Has Symptoms that Could Be COVD-19

If a student has symptoms that could be COVID, it is recommended that they meet one of the following to return to school:

1. Obtain a medical professional’s documentation clearing the individual for return based on an alternative diagnosis and at least 24 hours have passed with no fever without fever reducing medication; OR,
2. Obtain a Negative COVID-19 test for COVID at an approved COVID testing location found at https://tdem.texas.gov/covid-19/, and at least 24 hours with no fever without fever reducing medication. 
3. If the student does not meet options 1 or 2, it is recommended they return after at least 5 days have passed since symptom onset, and fever free*, and other symptoms have improved.

* Tests Accepted: Rapid/Antigen and PCR lab, or Home Tests.

 *Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications. Fever is a temperature of 100° Fahrenheit (37.8° Celsius) or higher.

 Staff Who Have Symptoms that Could Be COVD-19

If a staff member has symptoms that could be COVID wants to return to work, it is recommended that they meet one of the following:  

1. Obtain a medical professional’s documentation clearing the individual for return based on an alternative diagnosis and at least 24 hours have passed with no fever without fever reducing medication; OR,
2. Obtain a NegativeCOVID-19 test for COVID at an approved COVID testing location found at https://tdem.texas.gov/covid-19/, and at least 24 hours with no fever without fever reducing medication.

* Tests Accepted: Rapid/Antigen and PCR lab, or Home Tests. If the staff does not meet options 1 or 2, it is recommended they return after at least 5 days have passed since symptom onset, and fever free*, and other symptoms have improved.

 *Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications. Fever is a temperature of 100° Fahrenheit (37.8° Celsius) or higher.

Student Who Has Tested Positive for COVID-19

A person who tests positive for COVID-19 must stay home and report testing positive through the FBISD Wellness Screener. 

As provided in this Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Rule, school systems must exclude students from attending school in person who are actively sick with COVID-19.  Based on recent updates from the CDC, a student may return when:

• If symptomatic, at least 5 days have passed since symptom onset, and fever free*, and other symptoms have improved.
• For those with no symptoms, at least 5 days after the day they tested positive.

*Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications. Fever is a temperature of 100° Fahrenheit (37.8° Celsius) or higher.

No. Currently some immunizations are mandated by state law, yet the COVID-19 vaccine is not one of them, at this time.  As a result, Fort Bend ISD does not have the authority to require this vaccination or proof of their vaccination. However, if a student is required to quarantine due to travel or “close contact” to a positive case, proof of their vaccination can be provided to the District (their campus nurse) to be cleared from quarantine quickly instead of maintaining the required quarantine period.

Fully vaccinated individuals due not need to quarantine due to international travel or exposure to a positive COVID-19 case.

People are considered fully vaccinated:

• 2 weeks after a single-does vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine
• 2 weeks after their second does in a 2-does series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines

International Travel Requirement/Guidelines

The district refers staff, students, and families to the CDC’s Travel Guidelines for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals that travel internationally.  

Yes. TEA has not issued any information regarding the nonacceptance of foreign exchange students.  The FBISD high school exchange student programs will continue to operate with the permission of the United States Department of State and The Department of Homeland Security for the 2021-22 school year.

• International student exchange participants may travel to the United States. As of January 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) require all travelers to the United States to present a negative COVID test taken no more than three calendar days prior to their arrival. This applies to international student exchange participants and citizens alike.
• High school students are eligible to receive visas to travel to the United States as designated by the United States Department of State and The Department of Homeland Security. While the speed of visa processing has slowed, consulates and embassies around the world continue to issue them.

Fort Bend ISD has closed the Virtual Learning Program (VLP) effective December 17, 2021. The District determined the VLP was no longer necessary based on the status of active cases in FBISD, availability of a COVID vaccine for all school-age children, responses to the VLP Parent Survey, and a current shortage of certified teaching staff. There are currently no plans to resume the VLP during the 2022-23 school year.