Irving ISD Issues Apology on Student with COVID-19 Symptoms Denied Access to School Nurse

Irving, Texas. May 26, 2021 –

As was reported, Nicholas Taylor, at student at Lee Elementary School in Irving, was denied access to the school nurse after complaining on symptoms related to COVID-19.  In fact, Nicholas ended up testing positive for COVID-19. 

The Irving school district has provided the following statement and apology to Irving Weekly:

"In Irving ISD, the health and safety of students and staff is our top priority. Especially during this unprecedented pandemic, we have a duty to keep the health concerns of students and staff at the forefront of our decision-making.

"According to Irving ISD’s COVID-19 protocols and policies that have been in place since the start of the school year, when a student displays and/or expresses that they have symptoms of COVID-19, teachers are expected to send the student to the school nurse.

"Unfortunately, this did not occur. When campus and district officials learned of the incident, action was immediately taken to rectify the situation, including implementing contact tracing protocols. No other student in the class has tested positive for COVID-19 as a result of this incident.

"Both campus and district administrators spoke to and apologized to the parent on multiple occasions, discussed the investigation process including next steps and put a follow-up plan in place. To date, campus and district staff have made contact with the parent a total of 12 times on seven different dates.

"The actions of one individual do not represent the thousands of other Irving ISD educators who come to work each day and follow protocols. The district apologizes profusely that protocol was not followed in this instance.

"Due to federal privacy laws, we cannot discuss disciplinary actions against an employee; however, the district has addressed this concern appropriately, including meeting with campus leadership to review COVID-19 protocols and policies again to ensure that an incident like this does not occur again."

 

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