by Katie Barton|news editor 

NEISD has made new online COVID data available on their website as well as made changes to attendance and the way absences are counted.

“The easiest way to get the new data is to go to the NEISD website and on the main page there is a COVID health services link or you can search health services,” principal Gary Comalander said.

Now students, parents, and staff can see the COVID case count as weekly data by campus. 

“It’s good to be able to keep up with what is happening in the community at your children’s school,” Comalander said.

NEISD also now offers COVID-19 rapid tests on campus for students and staff members.

“They are able to do the swab. You usually get the results in 15 to 20 minutes,” Comalander said.

However, while rapid tests are offered on campus, they will be given out based on priority.

“It might not be able to be done immediately because they have to have a priority depending on what going on.” Comalander said. “So if they [the clinic] are busy with a ton of students or staff thats of a more pressing need it might take a little while for it to happen.”

If you can’t get a rapid test at school, NEISD also offers testing at other locations.

“We still have rapid testing going on at the Northeast sports park.” Comalander said. “Where you just drive up and wait in line, they swab you while you’re in your car, and then you wait for about 15 minutes you get your results.”

If a student tests positive for COVID-19, the student will need to first notify the school Nurse, Karen East, then notify the Attendance Office to make sure that these absences are marked as extenuating circumstances.

“They will have the ability to have those under extenuating circumstances so they can have those ten absences and those do not count against you for credit or for semester exams,” Comalander said.

It’s important to note however, that students only get ten days of COVID related absences. 

“There was only so many days they get counted. So once they’ve used up those days, then it would just be a regular excused absence, which unfortunately does count,” Comalander said.

So students are allowed to have 10, non-COVID related, absences per semester before they have to do make up live tutoring to make u for the days they missed.

“Nine days each semester before you have to, on the tenth day, start making it up,” Comalander said.