Connally Independent School District

CISD campuses will reach out to parents regarding student instruction.

almost 5 years ago, Connally ISD

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17, Connally ISD will provide breakfast and lunch at 4 locations (curbside pick up or student walk-up). One meal per child and CHILD MUST BE PRESENT to receive a meal! For all parents picking up meals, each child must be in your vehicle in order to receive a meal. When: Monday-Friday, Breakfast 8am-9am, Lunch 11am-12:30pm Where: Connally Elementary School- 300 Cadet Way, Waco, TX 76705 Lacy Lakeview Civic Center- 505 E. Craven, Waco, TX 76705 Brazos Village Apartments- 2525 Lakeshore Drive, Waco, TX 76705 Chalk Bluff Baptist Church- 5993 Gholson Rd, Waco, TX 76705

almost 5 years ago, Connally ISD

Dear Connally ISD Families and Community, Over the past few weeks, we have been closely monitoring the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This is a quickly developing situation, and while there are no confirmed cases in McLennan County at this time, the cases in Texas are multiplying. Connally ISD has been closely monitoring guidance from the Texas Education Agency, Texas of Health and Human Services, and the McLennan County Health Department, and felt the need to be more proactive. Area superintendents met this morning to decide together how to best protect Waco area students, our staff members, and our communities, and analyze lessons learned from previous outbreaks such as H1N1. One body of research describes proactive school closures as “one of the most powerful nonpharmaceutical interventions that we can deploy.” Proactively closing schools before there is a case associated with a school can impede the spread of a virus and possibly save lives. After consulting with medical experts and considering the unique role that our schools can play in slowing the spread of COVID-19, I have made the decision to close all Connally ISD campuses and Connally ISD facilities from March 16 through March 27. We are also canceling all athletic competitions, fine arts performances, and other school activities planned during this time. While we are currently hoping to resume a somewhat normal schedule on March 30, we will continue to assess the situation including whether or not extending this closure might be warranted. This is not a decision that was made lightly. For many of our families, this creates a difficult challenge to supervise children and can impact businesses and other organizations that employ our parents and guardians. However, we have a responsibility to take those steps we can to contain this unknown virus and protect the health of our students, their families, staff members, and community. The Connally ISD Leadership Team will be meeting Monday morning to work on logistics that address the immediate weeks ahead as well as beginning long-term planning. You can expect subsequent communications that address duties for staff, as well as information about instruction and access to resources for families. Teachers should plan to work from home until further notice and focus on preparing lesson plans to guide instruction. After our Leadership Team is able to meet Monday, we will communicate with staff details about how this will be implemented. We are committed to supporting students instructionally while they are at home and are developing instructional resources for students and families. We are also committed to supporting students in other ways during this closure such as arranging for food services for students in need. Once we have finalized these plans, we will communicate this information to you. We will continue to work closely with the local health department to assess new developments and the impact on the health and safety of our students and staff. We know you may have questions, and we will provide regular updates via email and text message. You will also be able to find those updates on our website and social media accounts, as well as by working with our media partners. This is a challenging time for our community as well as our nation and the world. Together, however, we will rise to the challenge. Thank you for joining the Connally faculty and staff in this effort to do what we can to slow the spread of this virus. Sincerely, Wesley Holt Superintendent Connally ISD

almost 5 years ago, Connally ISD

To the Connally Family & Community, Responses to the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are moving quickly. We are carefully abiding by guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and the McLennan County Health District. We are aware that Baylor University has extended spring break. At this time, we have not yet received directives from the Texas Education Agency or local/state/federal government that recommends or allows closure of our public schools prior to any local cases of the illness. Likewise, while the NCAA has canceled hosting spectators for all competitions, we have not received guidance from the University Scholastic League (UIL) or other host organizations for competitions and performances as of yet. As a part of our local response, we are reviewing our district’s participation in voluntary events. We will continue to communicate at the district and campus-level about student events. To help in monitoring the situation, we are asking that families and staff self-report any recent travel out of the country. The information from these self-report forms will help us assess the possible exposure at the local level to COVID-19 in order to develop plans for days and weeks ahead. We are also asking if students or staff have a cough with fever, to remain home until fever-free for 24 hours. As of today, we still plan to open on Monday, March 16, as scheduled. If anything were to change over the next few days, we will make sure to release that information as soon as possible. Wesley Holt Superintendent Connally ISD

almost 5 years ago, Connally ISD

Dear Connally ISD Parents and Staff, As you know the Center for Disease Control has recently shared information about the concerns for public health within the United States due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consider this new Coronavirus to be a serious public health threat, it considers the immediate risk to the American public to be low. To be clear, there have been no reported cases in the Waco area but I think it is important for us to share with you what Connally ISD is currently doing. Understandably, viral illnesses are issues for which we are all concerned and are following closely. Health experts continue to study the virus to understand the full nature of its transmission and best practices for prevention. We are in contact with our local health department to ensure we are learning as much as possible, as information becomes available on how we can continue keep our students and our staff safe. Here are some of the preemptive measures we are currently taking to help control the spread of flu and other potential viruses: Our school nurses and clinic staff follow guidelines set by the Texas Department of State Health Services to protect our children from communicable illnesses. Additionally, our head nurse and emergency operation team are closely monitoring updates by the CDC regarding viruses such as the flu and the novel coronavirus. Our custodial supervisor ensures all classroom and facility surfaces are disinfected daily, and checks with school nurses to get up-to-date information about numbers of current illness cases such as flu or strep, students affected, and areas of potential concentration, so we can better direct targeted cleaning efforts. Along with our custodial staff, our transportation department also takes preventative measures and will be disinfecting buses over Spring Break. We will continue monitoring recommendations by the CDC and local health departments and implement additional measures as we learn more. In the meantime, you can learn more about the novel coronavirus at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019ncov-factsheet.pdf. The measures that prevent the spread of the flu virus will also prevent the spread of the coronavirus. As we currently are in the midst of the traditional flu season, many campus practices to safeguard the health of students, faculty, and staff are already in place. Connally ISD encourages all members of our community to take standard precautions to prevent the spread of viruses. This is a list of preventative measures. • Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds • Cough and sneeze in your sleeve or tissue. dispose of used tissues properly. • Avoid touching your face, mouth, nose and eyes • Frequently cleaning touch surfaces, including cell phones, laptops, and keyboards; • Avoiding sharing food utensils, containers, and other personal items; • Staying home when ill • Keep your child home when ill with a fever, vomiting or diarrhea Get the flu vaccine (it is not too late) We do have emergency operations plans in place should there ever be a local outbreak of any viral illness. With guidance from health officials and the Center for Disease Control, the head nurse will have the most up to date information as it becomes available. For the latest updates on the Coronavirus or Influenza, please visit the Centers for Disease Control website. For questions regarding the Coronavirus (COVID19) – Call the McLennan County Public Health District 254-750-1890 Pam White District RN

almost 5 years ago, Connally ISD

Connally Elementary School has received the state accountability rating of F for the past two consecutive school years. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has prescribed a process for schools carrying the performance label to undergo in order to develop a turnaround plan. One required step was to engage in a diagnostic known as the Effective Schools Framework conducted by a trained partner at the Education Service Center. The results from the diagnostic were evaluated by a team of Connally stakeholders to develop a "full implementation vision" for each lever identified in the Effective Schools Framework. The vision was then broken down to describe the system and capacity building required, in addition to developing key milestones for implementation. Connally Elementary is collecting feedback from our parents, teachers, students, staff, and community members regarding the proposed plan. Feedback may be emailed to turnaroundplan@connally.org or mailed to Turnaround Plan c/o Connally ISD, 200 Cadet Way, Waco, TX 76705, no later than February 16, 2020. Thank you!

about 5 years ago, Connally ISD

***Update to Connally Athletics*** Due to inclement weather, the boy's soccer game for today has been canceled. There is no rescheduling information at this time. Girl's basketball games have been moved to tomorrow. They will play in China Spring. Freshmen at 10 am, JV around 11 am and Varsity at 12:30 pm. Boys Basketball will play Varsity only today at 4:45 in the main gym at CHS.

about 5 years ago, Connally ISD

A threat was discovered on a Connally Junior High bathroom stall. Campus administrators and CISD police are investigating. We take all threats seriously to ensure the safety of our students, staff and visitors.

about 5 years ago, Connally ISD

CISD Police identified the minors who made the threat on Wed., Oct. 30th. We will be following disciplinary procedures on this matter. School safety is a top priority for CISD. Thank you, CISD police for the quick response and parents, students and staff for your cooperation.