Name: Schools can now offer online-only instruction until November, according to new state guidelines
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Schools can now offer online-only instruction until November, according to new state guidelines

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10:43 AM on Jul 17, 2020 CDTUpdated at 4:35 p.m., July 17, 2020 with comments from Richardson ISD Superintendent Jeannie Stone.Texas public schools will be allowed to offer virtual-only instruction potentially as late as November, and high schools won’t be required to offer five days of in-person instruction per week, according to new guidance issued Friday by the Texas Education Agency.The change in the state’s guidance -- which was originally issued by the TEA in early July -- comes a day after Texas saw its largest single-day number of deaths from COVID-19, as well as the number of positive cases in the state’s urban centers continuing to rise.When the agency rolled out its initial guidelines earlier this month, districts were allowed the option of remote learning for three weeks before being required to offer in-person instruction. The agency said at that time that schools would be required to offer in-person instruction to each student each day, in addition to any remote learning options.Friday’s guidance now extends that period to four weeks, with an additional four-week option that school boards can obtain by asking for and receiving waivers from the TEA.With several school districts in the Dallas area pushing their first day of classes back to Sept. 8, in-person instruction could start as late as Nov. 3 if waivers are approved for those districts.The new rules also allow school districts to consider hybrid options of instruction for their high school students, using a combination of in-person and online-only classes, while still satisfying the state’s reopening requirements.“In high school, school systems may offer a less than daily on campus instructional experience if there is a need to reduce the total count of people on campus at any one time to maintain social distancing,” the new guidance reads.The move coincides with Thursday’s order by Dallas County officials barring in-person instruction until after Labor Day.Related:The TEA’s guidelines also carve out an exception for students without internet access in their homes, allowing those students the right to receive instruction at school during the four-to-eight-week period.“Any student requiring on-campus instruction during this period — i.e. those who need reliable access to technology — will still be entitled to on-campus instruction every day during this transition period,” a TEA statement read.Approximately a third of Dallas families are without high-speed internet access at home, and Dallas ISD has mobilized to provide devices and mobile hot spots to its 152,000 students by the start of the school year.Related:Additionally on Friday, state officials announced plans to use $200 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding to help schools provide digital devices and internet access to families for virtual learning.“As school districts delay the start of in-person instruction for the 2020-2021 school year due to COVID-19, it is essential that we work to provide Texas students with the devices they need to connect and communicate online for classroom instruction,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.The allocation comes at a time when Abbott and Republican state leaders are under criticism for using $1.16 billion in CARES Act funding to supplant state revenue that would have been dedicated to the Foundation School Program, the state’s primary funding program for public schools.Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath held several conference calls with the state’s superintendents Friday afternoon, clarifying the state’s new rules.In a video message to parents and teachers posted Friday morning, Morath reiterated the state’s position that schools should be open to students if families desire in-person learning.“Our framework ensures that there will be on-campus instruction available for all students who need it in the state of Texas,” Morath said. “But at the same time, we know we need to provide local schools the flexibility to adapt to local health conditions, especially given the rise of COVID cases across the state.”Dallas ISD trustee Miguel Solis said he was encouraged by Morath’s “willingness to provide autonomy for local authorities."“There is simply no way to know if our district will need this flexibility in the coming months, but to know that it exists lifts a heavy burden from our shoulders,” Solis said. “Our priority continues to remain finding the right balance of high quality instruction and the safety and well-being of students and staff.”Solis added that if virtual learning was used for a lengthy period of time, he believed that Dallas ISD should plan for an extended instruction calendar in 2021-22.In June, , adding breaks throughout the school year, which would start in early August and end in June.Dallas Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said that the state’s education leaders “got united” around the need for more local flexibility, and the TEA was responsive.“I think that they’re listening and being flexible,” Hinojosa said. “We didn’t get everything we wanted, but we got a lot.”One of the big concessions, Hinojosa said, was the TEA’s decision to use the same “hold harmless” methodology to calculate student attendance as it did during Hurricane Harvey. The change allows districts to receive funding based on projected average daily attendance based on the previous three years for the first two six-week periods of the 2020-21 school year, instead of using numbers potentially impacted by COVID-19 concerns.“That gives us another backstop, just in case students and parents are scared and don’t show up,” Hinojosa said. “It allows us not to bust our budgets.”Richardson ISD superintendent Jeannie Stone agreed with Hinojosa, calling the “hold harmless” provision a much-needed step.“We’ve got a lot to worry about in these unprecedented times, than to have to be concerned whether our schools will be funded appropriately for our students,” Stone said. “That’s the last thing we need right now.”Jeremy Strickland -- the superintendent in Trenton ISD, located an hour northeast of Dallas -- posted on social media his frustration with the constant changes in the state’s guidance.“Am I the only one that wonders if [the TEA] understands what they have put school district leadership teams through this summer?” Strickland wrote. “The constant changes are one thing, but now to release info publicly before superintendents/districts have a chance to process it ... maybe it’s just me.”Lovejoy ISD board president Chad Collins imploring the TEA and the University Interscholastic League -- which governs extracurricular competitions in the state -- to keep in-person instruction as an option for families this fall. Collins has two school-aged children, including a senior on Lovejoy’s football team.“You risk the isolation, reduced confidence, and lack of educational and psychological growth when you reduce the options for families of these young students,” Collins’ message read. “Face-to-face learning and UIL participation is paramount to the overall health of our students.”Deepening coverage and conversations about issues affecting North Texas schoolsBy signing up you agree to our

10:43 AM on Jul 17, 2020 CDTUpdated at 4:35 p.m., July 17, 2020 with comments from Richardson ISD Superintendent Jeannie Stone.Texas public schools will be allowed to offer virtual-only instruction potentially as late as November, and high schools won’t be required to offer five days of in-person instruction per week, according to new guidance issued Friday by the Texas Education Agency.The change in the state’s guidance -- which was originally issued by the TEA in early July -- comes a day after Texas saw its largest single-day number of deaths from COVID-19, as well as the number of...

Schools can now offer online-only instruction until November, according to new state guidelines

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