Health and Safety

The health and safety of The Excel Center students, faculty, and staff is of the utmost importance — and we are all responsible for keeping our campuses as safe as possible.

If you are unable to attend class for any reason during your scheduled class periods, it is important that you follow these steps the same day you will not be able to attend class:

  1. Notify your Life Coach by email or text. If you need help contacting your Life Coach, you may find their email in the school directory.

  2. Submit the Absence Request and Documentation form. This form may also be found in your Skyward student account.

  3. If you are able to participate in classes virtually, contact your teacher(s) to see how you may access your classes online through Google Classrooms so you don’t get behind/miss lessons.

COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols

  • Masks

    Masks are optional on all The Excel Center campuses (contingent upon other rules applied at Justice Education Campuses).

  • Screening and Temperature Checks

    We strongly encourage all individuals to screen for symptoms per CDC guidelines before coming to campus. The Wellness Screen on the Skyward mobile app can still be used as a screening option for students and staff. The Excel Center will not be performing temperature checks or asking screening questions upon entry to facilities as the CDC recommends screening should happen before leaving home. Anyone who is sick should stay home.

  • Cleaning

    The Excel Center will follow the CDC’s recommended cleaning guidelines for schools. We’ll clean and disinfect highly touched surfaces and areas frequently, and will do so immediately if a sick individual has been in the room. Cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer will be available throughout all campuses.

  • Sick Individuals

    If you are feeling sick, regardless of whether you’re vaccinated or not, please stay home and contact your physician and campus as soon as possible. Anyone who is sick will need to isolate at home for five days. Those who show symptoms can return early if they receive a doctor’s note stating they do not have COVID-19 or receive a negative result from a PCR test.

  • Quarantine

    Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should isolate for five days and when the individual has not had a fever for 24 hours. The five-day quarantine should be followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others. For those exposed to COVID-19 who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second dose and not yet boosted, a quarantine of five days is required. Quarantine should be followed by five days of strict mask use. Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to be quarantined following an exposure but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure. Best practice also includes a COVID-19 test at day five after exposure.

  • Classrooms

    Sanitizer and disinfectant will be available in all classrooms, offices, and shared spaces. Occupants of those spaces should disinfect areas frequently. There will be assigned seating to assist with contact tracing. Physical distancing of three feet or more will take place when feasible, per CDC guidelines. In addition, HEPA filters have been integrated with the HVAC system.

  • Student Lounge

    All students will be able to eat in the student lounge area. Refrigerators and microwaves are available for student use and should be disinfected after use. Students should follow physical distancing as space permits. Hand washing or using hand sanitizer will be encouraged in eating areas, and students should sanitize the area after use.

  • COVID-19 Vaccines

    Getting a COVID-19 vaccine and subsequent boosters helps to lower your chances of getting COVID-19, spreading it to others, and ending up in the hospital. However, getting the COVID-19 vaccine is not required. This is a very personal choice for everyone, and we respect the rights of individuals to make their own decisions. Vaccine clinic opportunities will be shared with students and staff.

What to Do If You Test Positive for COVID-19 or Are Exposed to Someone with COVID-19

Test-Confirmed COVID-19 Case

Confirmed COVID-19 positive tests must be reported to The Excel Center if the individual has been in school facilities within two days prior to symptom onset or, in the case of asymptomatic individuals who are test-confirmed with COVID-19, within two days prior to the confirming test. All test-confirmed cases must be reported through this reporting link:

Positive Case & Close Contact Report Form

Close Contact

Close contact is defined as being directly exposed to infectious secretions (e.g., being coughed on) or being within six feet for a cumulative duration of 15 minutes. Individuals are presumed infectious at least two days prior to symptom onset or, in the case of asymptomatic individuals who are test-confirmed with COVID-19, two days prior to the positive test. Close contacts must be reported using this link:

Positive Case & Close Contact Report Form

Unvaccinated close contact individuals must remain off campus until they meet the criteria for re-entry. This applies regardless of where the contact occurred. COVID-19 testing is not required for close contacts as negative test results can occur at any time while the virus is incubating. Individuals exposed to a close contact person are not considered to be close contact unless the person contracts COVID-19.

Protocols for Re-Entry After Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19

Any individual who themselves either test-confirmed to have COVID-19 or experience the symptoms of COVID-19 must stay at home throughout the infection period and cannot return to campus until the school system screens the individual to determine the conditions for re-entry have been met. Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 will be permitted to return to school when they meet all three of the following conditions or one of the last two conditions:

  • They are one-day (24 hours) fever-free without using fever-reducing medication
  • Improved symptoms (cough, difficulty breathing, etc.)
  • At least five days have passed since symptoms began
  • Or obtain an acute infection test at an approved testing location (https://tdem.texas.gov/covid-19/) that comes back negative for COVID-19\
  • Or obtain a doctor’s note indicating an alternate diagnosis

For those who are asymptomatic, they may return after the five-day period has passed following the positive test. In the case of an individual who has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and who is not evaluated by a medical professional or diagnostic test for COVID-19, such individual is assumed to have COVID-19, and the individual may not return to the campus until the individual has completed the same set of criteria listed above.

Protocols for Re-Entry After Coming into Close Contact with an Individual Test-Confirmed to Have COVID-19

Staff must report to their supervisor if they had close contact with an individual who is test-confirmed with COVID-19, as defined above, and if they are not fully vaccinated, must remain off campus for 10 days. Students who are unvaccinated must remain off campus and participate in remote instruction for five days. Students who are unable to participate in instruction due to health complications will have the option to drop the class or receive an incomplete and submit work within two weeks of the end of the term. Visitors who are unvaccinated and who had close contact with an individual who is test-confirmed with COVID-19 must remain off campus for five days.