Schulenburg ISD administrators issued the following letter on Monday, July 13 explaining their plans for the 2020-21 school year:
“The SISD administrators and teachers are working diligently to coordinate our back to school plan for the upcoming school year. Based on guidelines from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the Governor’s Office, and our local authorities, we hope to have a very clear plan on our safe return to our campuses. Schulenburg ISD is committed to the health, safety, and education of all students.
“Based on the recent survey completed by 64 percent of our families, 73 percent would like for their child/children to return to school with a face to face option. Per TEA recommendations, we are allowed to offer in-person instruction on each campus. With this in mind, students may choose to attend school in the fall either in-person or from home as part of a distance learning platform. School is scheduled to begin on Aug. 19.
“OPTION 1 – Students will attend class daily on their campus. At this time, we plan to return to normal daily routines. Procedures are being discussed to follow CDC and TEA recommendations. For example, class sizes, cafeteria, transportation and hallway routines may be adjusted. The district will relay those changes as they are finalized. Plans do include screening students for symptoms of COVID-19, regularly deep-cleaning and sanitizing facilities and buses, personal protective equipment (PPE) available for any student who requests it, and hand sanitizer in every classroom. At this time, face masks must be worn in school buildings as mandated by the Texas Governor. Should that change, the district will release our policy on face masks for the campuses. In the event in-person instruction is closed by order of the Texas Governor as it was last year, your child will automatically transition to distance learning and follow all the guidelines of that program.
“OPTION 2 – Students will participate in daily distance learning activities. The distance learning option will contain a rigorous curriculum provided by your child’s teachers. Daily attendance will be taken for each class/subject. Students will receive numeric grades for all of their courses just as their peers attending classes face to face. Dates for Distance Learning Information Sessions for parents will be posted on the Schulenburg ISD website in the coming weeks. These sessions will include information about programs students will be required to use, daily attendance procedures and other important information. Parents will be required to attend at least one session if their child will be participating in distance learning.
“TECHNOLOGY – Schulenburg ISD is reviewing several options to aid our students that choose to continue using distance learning. The administrators are reviewing comments shared through the recent survey to make changes and ensure the success of our distance learning platform.
“ACADEMIC CALENDAR – At this time, our school calendar has not changed. School is scheduled to begin on August 19, 2020 and end on May 27, 2020. This calendar may be found on our website at www.schulenburgisd.net.
“REGISTRATION – Registration will be held on Aug. 3-5. Specific information on times will be available on the website in the upcoming weeks. You will be asked to select your learning mode preference for the coming year, but you can change that preference after a full grading period. The district instructional staff firmly believes in the value of returning to school in a face to face environment and the social and emotional benefits for students in attending school. With that being said, it is also important for you to have the flexibility to do what you think is best for your student to get the best and safest education possible.
“We appreciate your support as we work through these unprecedented challenges. We know the days ahead may require more guidelines to be put in place and we appreciate your flexibility as we work to accommodate the needs of all students in our district. Each campus principal is available to discuss any other concerns you may have for your child/children. We are very thankful to have our students and will always work to make the most informed decisions for all students and staff of Schulenburg ISD.
“Please stay safe and healthy.”
Sincerely,
SISD Administration:
Superintendent
Duane Limbaugh Elementary Principal
Elementary Principal
Kristi McBride
Junior High Principal
Callene Zapalac
High School Principal
Charles Henke
For more on the TEA guidelines, see article on Page 4.