In Irving ISD, our top priority is the safety of our students and staff. The district is aware of the recent announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of a possible Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

As a district, we are in close contact with Dallas County Health and Human Services to monitor the situation. At this time, there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 in Dallas County, and our local and state health officials deem the risk of local transmission in our community and the general public to be very low at this time.

There are many different types of Coronaviruses that cause mild to moderate illness, like the common cold.  The type of Coronovirus that has been in the media as of late, is the COVID-19 coronavirus.

COVID-19 is believed to be spread through the air, similar to other common respiratory viruses. Symptoms include fever, cough and difficulty breathing and appear approximately 2 to 14 days after being exposed.  Only those who have traveled to mainland China or have been in close contact with someone infected are at highest risk.

Out of an abundance of caution, health authorities are recommending that everyone take the same steps to prevent common respiratory illnesses – such as the common cold and flu.  These include:  staying home when you are sick; washing your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water; coughing or sneezing into your elbow or a tissue; avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

Throughout the school year, our Health Services Director works closely with school nurses to monitor all illnesses.  Additionally, our custodial team thoroughly cleans each campus and wipes high-touch surfaces every evening.

We will continue to monitor the situation with local and state health agencies and the Center for Disease Control and will provide updates as needed at www.irvingisd.net/coronavirus. For daily updates regarding COVID-19, we encourage our families to visit the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html