Dear HISD Community,

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced that Harris County has raised the COVID-19 threat level to red—the highest and most severe level.

During this time, HISD will continue to prioritize safety for sustaining in-person learning and working environments.

Our COVID-19 mitigation strategies have helped us maintain safe operations and in an effort to continue operating safely the following policies remain in place:

*Masks must be worn at all district offices, facilities, campuses, and

school buses.

*All non-athletic field trips, including enrichment or curricular trips are

suspended until further notice.

To learn more about these safety measures, as well as the new isolation and quarantine guidelines issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), please refer to HISD's Ready, Set, Go Plan.

Our online dashboard will continue to monitor confirmed cases throughout the district.

HISD also strongly encourages that all students and staff get tested for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status. HISD is offering free COVID-19 PCR screening testing for students and campus staff on majority of its campuses.

A list of campus testing sites and their weekly or bi-weekly

schedules can be found at HoustonISD.org/HealthAlerts

A one-time consent is required for on-campus testing and can be

filled out at https://bit.ly/HISDC19Test

In addition, Judge Hidalgo announced the county will provide area school districts with 110,000 COVID rapid tests.

HISD has also expanded partnerships with community leaders and health officials to provide additional COVID-19 testing opportunities to our HISD community:

Free drive-through mega site for COVID-19 testing at HISD's Delmar Stadium in partnership with the Houston Health Department. To register, visit HoustonHealth.org or call 832-393-4220. Please note that during this time, the Dacoma Street gate next to the softball field will be closed.

Free drive-through mega site for COVID-19 testing at HISD's Butler Stadium in partnership with the Houston Health Department. Appointments are not required but available by calling 1-866-333-2684.

We will continue to monitor the situation and send updates as necessary. Thank you for your continuing support.

Sincerely,

Millard House II signature

Millard House II

HISD Superintendent