Author Archives: HISD Communications

Six summer meals sites, all Fresh Bus produce delivery canceled for Thursday

Six curbside summer meals sites and all Fresh Bus produce delivery stops have been canceled for Thursday, June 4, following a confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus.

The six summer meals sites closed on Thursday include Bastian, Foster, Shearn, Thompson, and Whidby, and R. P. Harris elementary schools. All other scheduled summer meals sites will remain open.

The temporary closure will allow for deep cleaning and sanitization of affected schools and district facilities. Fresh Bus produce delivery and the curbside summer meals site at R. P. Harris Elementary School are expected to resume normal operations on Monday, June 8. The remaining five school sites are expected to reopen Thursday, June 18.

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HISD seniors announce future plans during Virtual Career and Military Signing Day

HISD Career Readiness students from across the district recorded their plans for after high school during the district’s Virtual Career and Military Signing Day.

Students will be entering the workforce in various career fields, including healthcare, agriculture, food services, public safety, as well as joining the Military.

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HISD to host Virtual Academic Signing Day

The HISD UIL Academics Department will host the second annual Academic College Signing Day next week for the district’s top University Interscholastic League (UIL) Academics, Music, and One Act Play students.  

With the district closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s signing day, which will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10, will be virtual and all district UIL students are encouraged to participate.

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HISD adds six new sites to curbside summer meals program

The Houston Independent School District has added six school sites to its curbside Summer Meals program, which launched Monday, June 1.

New locations include:

  • Holland Middle School, 1600 Gellhorn Dr.; 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  • Pilgrim Academy, 6302 Skyline Dr.; 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  • Shadowbriar Elementary School, 2650 Shadowbriar Dr.; 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Ashford Elementary School, 1815 Shannon Valley Dr.; 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  • Piney Point Elementary School, 8921 Pagewood Lane; 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Emerson Elementary School, 9533 Skyline Dr.; 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
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Fresh Bus produce delivery program announcing new stops

The Fresh Bus produce delivery program is announcing new community stops to better serve students and families.

The new stops will be located at apartment complexes that surround the 68 participating schools and have high student populations. Families can go direct to their closest pick-up site. No survey or registration is required.

All students enrolled at the 68 participating schools are eligible. A complete list of schools is available at HoustonISD.org/FreshBus.

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Applications available for Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer assistance

HISD families can now complete the applications necessary to receive Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), a one-time benefit for families who lost access to free or reduced-price meals due to school closures.

The application is available online at yourtexasbenefits.com/Learn/PEBT and will be open until June 30.

The $1 billion benefit program was approved by the United States Department of Agriculture to help eligible families buy food during the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-time benefit of up to $285 will be issued on an EBT card, which can be used like a debit card to assist families in buying food from any retailer that accepts the Texas Lone Star Card.

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Interim Superintendent awards $5,000 scholarships to students during surprise home visits

Houston Independent School District Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan presented 10 high school seniors with 2019-2020 HISD Superintendent Scholars Awards of $5,000 each during surprise visits to their homes over the past two weeks.

This is the third year the scholarships were awarded to graduating seniors who have displayed great character and resilience in the face of adversity. This year’s group of scholars have experienced the traumatic loss of a parent, severe poverty, health issues, immigration-related challenges and homelessness.

Lathan personally selected the 10 students for $5,000 awards from among 45 HISD seniors who were nominated by their principals or leadership teams. The remaining 35 seniors will each receive $1,500 scholarships.

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Austin HS to open in January 2021 due to COVID-19

The new Austin High School is now scheduled to open in January 2021 — a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The school was originally scheduled to open in August 2020. HISD Construction Services Officer Derrick Sanders said the new timeline was due to a three-month delay in the school’s furniture shipment and manpower shortages caused by mandated social distancing requirements resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Austin will remain at its current temporary learning center located across South Lockwood Drive until the new facility opens.

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HISD launches new programs to build on success of community food distribution

As the school year wraps up, the Houston Independent School District is revving up its nutrition outreach efforts with the launch of curbside summer meals for students and the Fresh Bus produce delivery program.

The programs come on the heels of the district’s successful community food distribution initiative, which ran for nine weeks following HISD’s closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coordinated by HISD in partnership with the Houston Food Bank, the program, provided nearly 7 million pounds of food to more than 160,000 families during that time.

“When everything around us was shutting down due to the pandemic, it became essential for us to be there for our students and their families,” HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “I’m proud of the hard work and dedication that went into this effort. Remarkably, we were able to impact so many families.”

The district is aiming to build upon that success with the launch if it’s annual and state-mandated summer meals program, which begins June 1. Families will be able to pick up packaged student meals twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays at one of 71 designated schools across the district. Families will receive several days’ worth of food per child.

HISD Meal Programs At a Glance
Summer Meals HISD Curbside Summer Meals
  • Begins June 1
  • Pick up on Mondays and Thursdays at 71 schools
  • Meals are free to ages 1-18
  • Proof of enrollment or birth certificate required for children not in the vehicle
  • Participating schools available at HoustonISD.org/SummerMeals
Fresh Bus Produce Delivery
  • Program runs through July
  • Daily delivery to rotating community locations
  • Produce is free for families at 68 designated schools
  • Participating schools and rotating delivery sites available at HoustonISD.org/FreshBus
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High school fine arts students use dance to connect

Students from Bellaire, Lamar, Madison, Milby, Westbury, and Westside high schools collaborated on a dance piece performed in response to a strong poem written and recited by Andrea Minotti, a senior dance student at Westside High School.

“This situation will fade, but we can’t run away from it,” he writes, “so as the days go by, sitting inside, what you will make of it?” Minotti’s powerful message inspired the dancers to express their emotions during this difficult time.

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