Return to face-to-face instruction a new milestone for 2020-2021

The Houston Independent School District will reach a new milestone on Monday for the 2020-2021 school year: Face-to-face instruction will begin! And while traditional face-to-face instruction will now be offered, parents still have the choice of either in-person or virtual learning for their child.

It has been nearly seven months since we moved to all-virtual instruction, due to the spread of COVID-19. Since then, we have all been pushed out of our comfort zones. We have been forced to adjust, adapt, and respond in the best interest of our children.

In many ways, this has been the most challenging period for our school district. But I am proud of the way our students, teachers, principals, and administrators have responded. You all have responded together with strength, flexibility, and innovation. That is the HISD way.

It was important to us as a district to consider all health and safety factors in making the decision of when to relaunch in-person instruction at our campuses. Campus and district-level safety protocols are outlined in the district’s Communicable Disease Plan, and I encourage you to thoroughly review the document.

Safety Measures

With resuming in-person operations, student and staff desks and workspaces will be six feet apart whenever possible. We have implemented health-screening protocols, are requiring the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), limiting movement on campuses, and requiring that all staff meetings be held virtually. Enhanced cleaning measures also have been implemented.

Additionally, HISD is operating under a COVID-19 Gauge that ranges from red to green, based on health conditions in the district. The district currently is operating at Level 2: Orange, which allows students to return to classrooms and employees to return full-time to district workspaces.

You can read more about the district’s COVID-19 Gauge, and how each color impacts district and school operations.

Student Meals

Nutrition Services is transitioning from daily to twice-weekly curbside pickup for student meals and launching two Neighborhood Supersites as part of a weekly community food distribution program. These opportunities will help us serve families in a more efficient, impactful way and give our families access to the food they need.

For curbside pickup, families may procure several days’ worth of meals at each visit, and Neighborhood Supersites provide standing times and locations where the community can pick up 32 pounds of groceries for their families – as well as one week’s worth of student meals.

While community food packages are available to all, student meals are limited to children between the ages of 1 and 18 who are engaged in virtual learning. The driver must either have children in the car or show proof of enrollment in any school district such as a student ID or birth certificate.

For more information on  pickup times and locations, visit HoustonISD.org/StudentMeals.

Transportation

To increase safety and support physical distancing measures, buses will be run at half capacity. Bus service will be limited to special education, homeless, elementary, and specialty school students. Service also may be provided for some students in middle school and those who live along high-risk routes if resources are available. Bus service will not be immediately available to high school students but may be added later pending improved health conditions.

Bus riders will be required to wear masks, sanitize their hands and scan their bus badges upon boarding, and maintain physical distancing, sitting one per seat by the window. Drivers must wear masks, face shields, and gloves and sanitize the bus after every student drop-off. Buses will be deep cleaned and disinfected at the end of each week. At least four bus windows will be open whenever possible to increase ventilation.

Parents with questions about bus routes or safety protocols should contact Transportation Services through the Let’s Talk! platform.

The health and safety of our HISD family is our key mission. That is the foundation for academic success as we navigate this unprecedented year. Thank you for all that you are doing to keep yourselves and others healthy – and to foster a positive learning environment for HISD students.

I have called this the Year of Flexibility – and we are prepared to continue to remain flexible under the changing circumstances. We will safely push forward through the challenges in serving our families – with health and safety as our top priority.

Let’s continue to #ReconnectSafely and #ReturnStrong this school year!