CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A number of concerns have come into the KIII Newsroom regarding the safety protocols in place and the number of COVID-19 positive cases being reported in the Flour Bluff Independent School District.
According to Kimberly Sneed, spokesperson for Flour Bluff ISD, there are safety protocols in place that align with local, state and national guidelines surrounding COVID-19. This includes social distancing, sanitizing and strongly recommending students and staff wear facemasks.
However, some parents say their kids are being discouraged from wearing masks.
"All my children, 7, 8 and 10, wear their mask to school and have said the teacher told one of them that she didn't have to wear a mask, and she looked around and the majority of her class wasn't wearing a mask, so she felt alone, and she began to take hers off," Ana Lopez, a concerned parent of a FBISD student said. "So I think encouraging masking would be better than discouraging it."
Almost 10 percent of students at the Flour Bluff Intermediate School is currently positive for COVID-19, according to the district's website. Parents and staff members told 3NEws they believe the protocols need to be taken more seriously in an effort to control the spread.
A FBISD staff member spoke with 3News, but did choose to remain anonymous.
"It's so disheartening to continue to watch our students and their families struggle with this virus. I mean, I've gotten e-mails from kids who just can't, they don't feel up to it. Their parents have died. There were two students in two weeks where their parents died from COVID," the staff member said.
The district said they report cases on a daily basis online where parents can view it.
"That's not nearly as many absences as we have. Some students are just being out for two week. Some students are out for two weeks and don't want to do remote conferencing so they don't say they're positive, so there are much higher numbers that are being reported," the staff member said.
The district confirmed they currently have 23 staff members who are out with COVID-19.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
- CCISD ranks 5th in the state for most reported COVID-19 cases
- Coastal Bend mask mandates: Where does your school stand?
- Nueces County Judge: 'Our hospitalization rates are just downright frightening'
- Coastal Bend school districts dealing with staffing shortages
- Widow details husband's death after not seeking treatment for COVID-19
- CCISD mandates indoor masks for 30 days beginning Aug. 26