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ECISD school leaders remain vigilant as students return from winter break

ECISD spokesperson, Mike Adkins, said the new surges are concerning, but they're not something they haven't seen before, and safety protocols will remain in place.

ODESSA, Texas — Sad news for students, as the winter break has come to an end. That means ECISD and MISD students head back to the classroom on Tuesday.

This comes at a time where a record number of COVID-19 cases are being reported in the United States and in the state of Texas.

NewsWest 9 spoke to Mike Adkins, spokesperson for ECISD. He said these new surges are concerning, but they're not something they haven't seen before.

"We have been doing this for two school years now, so we are always watching it," said Adkins. "We always require our employees to report to us if they test positive or they were exposed."

Adkins said the same protocols that were implemented at the beginning of the pandemic at the district level will remain.

"We have protocols in place," said Adkins. "Nothing in this new spike is different than anything we have been doing since the beginning of last year. It's all part of the same plan. We have had to watch it since we went back to school in August of 2020."

Adkins told NewsWest 9 that as the district monitors the surge in cases, they're also taking guidance from health leaders.

"Line up our protocols with what the CDC is recommending, and they made some big changes during the Christmas break," said Adkins. "We wanted to talk with our local health officials and get a feel of what they are seeing and feeling. That is where we are today, is figuring that part out and making sure what we do locally matches what they have said as well."

For now, Adkins hopes that everyone continues to remain cautious as they enter the new school semester.

"Stay home if you are sick," said Adkins. "Continue to use hand sanitizer and frequent washing of hands. Kind of coaching kids on, if you're coughing or sneezing, you do it into your sleeve. Again, a recommendation to wear masks when you're in school. All of those things have been in place since the beginning of the school year."

NewsWest 9 reached out to MISD for comment on the current COVID-19 surge and got the following statement back:

"MISD is evaluating our current COVID-19 guidelines in light of the CDC's update. We are convening our Superintendent's Advisory Groups this week to gather input, with the goal of sharing an update to staff and parents on Friday. 

Staff and families should continue using the Google Forms to report positive cases. The links to those forms can be found on www.midlandisd.net under announcements."

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