Return-to-School Resources

We've compiled resources, guidelines, and best practices to help school districts make returning to the classroom as safe as possible. 

State and national guidelines

• Texas Education Agency's (TEA) Guidelines for a Safe Return to On-Campus Instruction: Addresses on campus and virtual instruction, responding to and mitigating spread, wearing masks, transportation, and more.
• TEA's Strong Start Resources: Includes trainings and resources for remote and hybrid learning options. 
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) COVID-19 Guidelines for Schools: Provides detailed information for school leaders on operating schools during the pandemic. 

Health and safety

• TEA's Public Health Planning Guidance: Addresses reducing spread of the virus, screening staff, and responding to confirmed cases. 
• TASB Risk Management Fund’s Get the Most Value from Respiratory Protection During the Pandemic: Trains staff on understanding limitations of personal protective equipment and how to use it properly.
• TASB Risk Management Fund’s COVID-19 and Mental Health: A Q&A with Amy Grosso, PhD: Shares tips on managing stress and anxiety during the pandemic and helping students cope.  
• TASB HR Services’ CDC COVID-19 Posters and Posting Locations: Gives guidance on CDC posters and suggestions for where they should be displayed in schools.
   

Operations

General operations

• TASB HR Services’ Implementing COVID-19 Vaccine Protocols: Offers guidance and considerations for workplace requirements and practices.
• TASB HR Services’ COVID-19 Testing Requirements for International Travel: Reviews new guidelines for international travelers returning to the United States.
• TASB HR Services’ Screening Staff, Students, and Visitors for COVID-19: Addresses TEA's daily screening requirement.
• TASB HR Services’ Contact Tracing Teams and Epidemic Response in Schools: Presents considerations for implementing a contact tracing team.
• ​TASB HR Services' Sample Recent Travel Reporting Forms: Guides schools on managing employee exposure to COVID-19.
• TASB HR Services' Return-to-Work Preparation: Helps districts plan for a phased return for staff, exposure response plans, communicating with employees, and more. 
• American Academy of Pediatrics' Guidance for Safe Schools: Suggests planning guidelines for schools while operating during the pandemic.
   

Personnel issues

General HR guidance

• TASB HR Service’ Employee Retention and COVID-19: Suggests ways to engage and retain employees during the pandemic and beyond.
• TASB HR Services’ COVID-19 Vaccinations and Employee Medical Inquiries: Addresses how to respond to requests for employee medical information.
• TASB HR Services’ Educator Appraisals and COVID-19: Offers information and guidance related to educator appraisals including the need for flexibility, appraisals for virtual teaching, the impact on the Teacher Incentive Allotment, and important resources and reminders.
• TASB HR Services' Addressing COVID-19 Exposure: Offers guidance on addressing employee exposure to COVID-19, including determining leave time and return-to-work protocol.
• ​​TASB HR Services’ ADA Interactive Process and COVID-19: Reviews the process for identifying a reasonable accommodation including supervisor roles, accommodations, and other considerations.
• TASB HR Services’ Optimizing Staff for Safe Student Learning: Offers suggestions for how employees can be flexible and ensure the health, safety, and learning progress of students.
• TASB Risk Management Fund’s Six Common Questions about Coronavirus and Workers’ Compensation: Answers frequently asked questions about workers’ compensation coverage and COVID-19.
• TASB HR Services’ Pregnancy and COVID-19: Offers guidance on the heightened risk for pregnant women and how to accommodate pregnancy-related medical conditions.
• TASB HR Services' DHS Flexibility for Reviewing I-9 Documentation: Gives the relaxed requirements for reviewing employment authorization documents.
• TASB HR Services' EEOC Guidance on Medical Inquiries During a Pandemic: Lists steps employers can take to protect staff and students from the spread of COVID-19.

Leave

• TASB HR Services’ article Did the Government Extend FFCRA Leave through March?: Clarifies the options available to public schools regarding FFCRA leave.
• TASB HR Services’ Calculating FML Eligibility During the Pandemic: Discusses the issue of counting hours worked in order to qualify for FML.
• TASB HR Services’ Extending Paid and Unpaid Leave Through a Resolution: Addresses ways to support employees who have exhausted their leave options due to COVID-19.
• TASB Legal Services' Personnel Provisions in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (pdf): Summarizes the Emergency Paid Sick Leave and the Emergency Family Leave Expansion provisions of the FFCRA.
• TASB HR Services’ DOL Required Posters for Emergency Federal Leave: Instructs employers on required worksite posters regarding the FFCRA.

Remote work

• TASB HR Services’ Evaluating Teachers Who Provide Virtual Instruction: Provides strategies for ensuring that virtual teachers receive feedback and support through the appraisal process.
• TASB HR Services’ Employee Travel and Return to Work: Offers recommendations for handling the return-to-work process for employees who have traveled.
• TASB HR Services' Modifying the Teacher Job Description for Remote Instruction: Outlines what to think about when updating teacher job descriptions to include remote work.
• TASB HR Services’ Remote Teacher Selection: Provides suggestions for a successful remote selection process. 
• TASB Risk Management Fund’s Keep Virtual Meetings Private During the Pandemic: Discusses how to protect virtual meetings.
• TASB Risk Management Fund’s Cybercriminals Look to Cash in on Coronavirus: Guides districts in training employees on identifying phishing attacks and cyber scams.
• TASB HR Services’ HR Considerations When Employees Are Working Remotely and Communicating Remote Work Expectations: Deal with HR issues related to working from home.
• TASB Risk Management Fund’s Work at Home Safely during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Gives tips and best practices for working safely and effectively from home.
• TASB HR Services’ Benefits of Remote Work Arrangements: Explores considerations and benefits of allowing district staff to work from home. 

Remote instruction

• TEA's Attendance and Enrollment FAQ: Instructs districts on how to calculate and report attendance and enrollment for the two remote instruction options—synchronous and asynchronous.
• TEA's Preparing for Remote Instruction: Outlines details related to the COVID slide, determining daily attendance, and remote instruction methods.
• TASB Legal Services' FAQ about Remote Instruction: Addresses legal issues districts may encounter when implementing a virtual or remote instruction program. 
• Texas Home Learning: TEA's website that provides at-home learning tools to help parents, teachers, and administrators deliver educational resources. 
   

Student and extracurricular issues

• TASB Policy Service's Limiting Interdistrict Transfer Students to All-Remote Instruction (pdf): Provides a resolution for districts to require nonresident transfer students to be served remotely for the entire school year.
• TASB Policy Service’s Getting a Resolution to Assist Districts that Wish to Exclude Students Receiving All-Remote Instruction from Extracurricular Activities and Certain Elective Courses (pdf)
• TASB Policy Service’s Resolution to Address UIL Waivers (docx) of preparticipation and Physical Examination Requirements (pdf): Updates schools on adjusting preparticipation physical examinations for the 2020–21 school year.
   

Updated April 23, 2021, 12:15 p.m.