The Houston Independent School District will soon launch an online course designed to provide parents with the tools needed to support their child’s transition to the online classroom this fall.
The Parent Introduction to Virtual Learning online course will be available on Monday, Aug. 10. It is designed to introduce virtual learning and provide guidance to parents on the HISD @ H.OM.E platform. The course should be completed no later than Friday, Sept. 4.
Continue readingThe deadline to complete the application necessary to receive the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) has been extended to Aug. 21. The one-time benefit is 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.
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 as a debit card to assist families in buying food from any retailer that accepts the Texas Lone Star Card.
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HISD has announced the suspension of the student uniform policy for the upcoming school year.
The district understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has created or increased the economic challenges that some families face. Relaxing the uniform requirements will hopefully provide some relief for parents as they prepare for the school year.
Continue readingThe HISD Academics Department is hosting a virtual interactive Academic Enrichment Camp designed to provide students with enrichment leading up to the first day of the 2020-21 school year while reinforcing academic skills.
Camp Spark, which will be held Aug. 24 through Sept. 3, is free of charge for all HISD students in pre-K through 12th grade.
Students will participate in interactive engaging activities in science, math, literacy, technology, and art. Ninth-graders will participate in a high school overview boot camp. A College and Career Readiness Series will be available for students in grades 10th through 12th. Other student camp activities include:
Continue readingBeginning Monday, the Houston Independent School District will deliver a weeks’ worth of student meals directly to three apartment complexes with large concentrations of students in the Wheatley High School feeder pattern.
Offered through Nutrition Services Houston Eats catering service, the delivery service will be provided through August as a complement to the district’s curbside summer meals program.
The program is open to students who are between the ages 1 to 18 and live in the apartment complexes where the food is being delivered. Participants do not have to be enrolled in HISD schools.
Continue readingThe Houston Independent School District will kick off its third year of Parent University on Tuesday, Sept. 15 with the first of six virtual workshops.
The workshops will connect parents and children to resources offered by the district to create successful academic careers as well as safe and healthy environments at home and at school.
Continue readingHISD families now have until July 31 to complete the application necessary to receive the 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.
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 as a debit card to assist families in buying food from any retailer that accepts the Texas Lone Star Card.
Continue readingThe Houston Independent School District is temporarily closing most Curbside Summer Meals sites beginning Friday, July 3, due to guidance from public health officials and rising numbers of COVID-19 cases throughout the city.
Five strategically located sites offering both Curbside Summer Meals and the Houston Food Bank’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program — which provides families with 30-pound boxes of produce — will remain open.
Those sites are Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center, Revere Middle School, and Kashmere, Chavez, and Milby high schools.
Continue readingThe four elementary schools being rebuilt as a result of Hurricane Harvey are now scheduled to open in August 2020 — a three-month delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kolter, Braeburn, Mitchell, and Scarborough elementary schools were originally scheduled to open in June 2020.
HISD Construction Services Officer Derrick Sanders said the new timeline is a result of manpower shortages caused by mandated social distancing requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue readingFollowing a statewide call on Tuesday between school district superintendents and Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, I wanted to provide an update on plans for the 2020-2021 school year – which remain to be finalized.
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the situation remains fluid as we try to determine next steps on what the school year will look like. During his presentation, the commissioner emphasized that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is working with Gov. Greg Abbott’s medical advisors to establish public health guidance for school districts. While preliminary information has been provided by TEA, final guidance will not be available until mid-July.
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