COVID Statement By North Lamar Superintendent Kelli Stewart

Paris, Texas, January 14, 2022 — School districts across the state face teacher shortages due to COVID. It has presented complex challenges for our staff as well. However, North Lamar’s administration, faculty, and staff are working hard to ensure that our students continue to receive the quality, in-person education that makes us so proud to be part of the Panther family. Staff from the administration building, principals, assistant principals, and secretaries assist in classrooms where needed. In addition, some staff members are moving from campus to campus to help where staff absences are the greatest. We monitor attendance daily and continue to post the numbers of COVID positive cases on the North Lamar website.

We remain dedicated to keeping our students and staff safe by considering CDC and TEA recommendations on cleaning and other protocols. All classrooms have disinfectants, cleaning cloths, and hand sanitizer available throughout all our buildings. Classrooms and other common areas are sprayed regularly with disinfectants. We continue to encourage safe practices such as hand-washing and social distancing. Please continue to monitor our website and social media platforms for any changes to COVID protocols.

North Lamar will offer shot clinics for our staff and students with the Omicron variant surging in our community. Clinics will be on January 25, at 10:00 am at North Lamar High School and 1:00 pm at Stone Middle School. Parent permission will be required for a student to receive the vaccine; permission forms will be posted soon on the North Lamar website.

We have been through this before. We know how challenging logistically and emotionally this has been for our staff, students, and community. We are committed to keeping our doors open for our students as long as we have enough staff to cover our classes. Our goal remains to have as few interruptions as possible for our students and their families. We thank you for your patience and support during this difficult time.