The Houston Independent School District Board of Education approved a resolution on Thursday to extend paid leave to employees who are required to quarantine due to a COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure to a confirmed positive individual.

Employees will be able to apply for up to 80 total hours (or 10 days) of emergency paid sick leave if required to quarantine due to a COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure to the virus. The application can be found on the HISD Human Resources page under “Important COVID-19 Info.” In addition, principals will have the discretion to afford teachers and other campus-based employees the ability to work or teach virtually, if the employee needs to quarantine and if working virtually is a benefit to the campus and fulfills campus needs.

The approved resolution is an extension of certain leave benefits provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which expired December 31, 2020. If Congress modifies or extends the federal act, the resolution also gives the superintendent the authority to determine how/if employees may use the 80 hours of leave originally provided by the FFCRA.

The district is also partnering with Kroger and Next Level to assist employees who qualify to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, including school nurses, school police officers and school wellness teams. Wellness teams consist of individuals on the frontline at the schools who check temperatures daily for school entry and supporting school nurses. Please note that vaccine recipients have been identified and pre-approved to receive their vaccinations and are being notified directly.

For more HISD Covid-19 updates, visit https://www.houstonisd.org/healthalerts.