Schools in Texas are not required to conduct contact tracing if a student test positive for COVID-19, according to new guidance from the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
Schools have to notify state and local authorities if an individual who has been at school tests positive for COVID-19.
However, contact tracing is not mandatory given data from 2020-21 “showing very low COVID-19 transmission rates in a classroom setting and data demonstrating lower transmission rates among children than adults,” the TEA said in the new guidelines.
The new guidelines did not explicitly state that schools are required to inform parents that their student has been in close contact, it says that school systems “should” notify parents.
Parents can decide whether they want to keep their students at home during the recommended period if they have been in close contact with someone who has the virus.
At least one school district so far, the Austin Independent School District, say they will not follow the TEA’s guidance on contact tracing.
Aside from contact tracing, school districts are also prohibited from instituting a mask mandate under a July executive order signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R). However, school systems have to allow individuals who want to wear a mask to do so.
Students who test positive for COVID-19 are not allow to attend school in-person, and parents are advised to not send their child to school if they are sick. Schools can deliver remote learning to students while they are not at home.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that schools conduct contact tracing to minimize the spread of the disease. Vaccinated individuals who were in close contact with a person who tested positive do not need to quarantine. Close contacts who are unvaccinated should quarantine at home for 14 days.
The CDC also recommends that said students and staff at school should wear masks regardless of their vaccination status, citing the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 that has caused a resurgence of the disease in the US.
