MFISD to parents: To stop COVID, stop sleepovers

Sleepovers, birthday parties, and other group gatherings might be to blame for a recent increase in COVID-19 cases among students in the Marble Falls Independent School District. In a special communication released to parents via email on Thursday, Jan. 28, MFISD Superintendent Chris Allen discussed trends observed since Jan. 4.
“Our contact tracing continues to demonstrate that these cases seem to be more the result of community-based spread than anything else we’re seeing,” Allen said. “Part of (the reason the information was released) was to reassure people we still feel confident that school does not present a particular safety risk to students and their health.”
The communication also noted another new trend in COVID-19 cases. Until recently, a person could test positive for COVID-19 and family members would remain unaffected. This semester, the district said it is more common for entire families to contract the virus.
“Through all of this, our staff and students have worked hard to keep our schools healthy,” Allen said. “The data suggest the school setting remains less likely to contribute to the spread of the virus than most other settings.”
MFISD will continue to consult with medical professionals, while monitoring the national, state, regional, and local trends and will make adjustments to its procedures as the situation develops, Allen continued.
“Our hope is that the entire community will make decisions in a way that supports the school’s efforts to stay ‘open’ and healthy,” reads the email statement.
Marble Falls ISD’s action plan, health protocols, method of response, and an ongoing account of positive cases in the district can all be found in the MFISD Pandemic Action Plan.