Houston Schools to Kick Off Academic Year with Remote Learning

The Houston Independent School District (HISD) announced this week that it will kick off the 2020-2021 academic year with remote learning and open the doors for students in mid-to-late October.

HISD will begin the fall semester in an unconventional way. Schools will resume September 8 instead of August 24, and learning will be completely virtual for the first six weeks, at least. Students will be able to attend traditional classes on October 19, although the school district stresses that the exact date is “subject to change”:

Even when in-person learning returns, students will not be forced to return to a physical classroom. HISD will give parents the option to keep their children out of in-person instruction altogether and stick exclusively to remote learning.

“Parents will have the option to choose remote instruction for the fall semester (through January 29, 2021) or entire school year (through June 11, 2021),” the school district said.

When in-person learning resumes, students and staff will “be screened daily before entering any HISD building.”

“They will also be required to wear appropriate masks, hand-wash routinely, and adhere to physical distancing requirements. Additionally, it will be mandatory for nurses, custodial staff, food service workers, and special education staff to wear gloves,” according to HISD:

These protocols were developed in part by the HISD Communicable Disease Plan Task Force, a group of key employees, educators, parents, community members, and health care officials. The task force was charged with reviewing safety guidance from local, state, and federal health and education officials. The district also considered feedback from parent and teacher surveys distributed over the summer.

“We have been working diligently to identify ways to continue providing quality education while ensuring the health and safety of our students, staff, and families,” HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said in a statement.

“I believe this plan is the best option for the HISD community, given the current circumstances and challenges presented by COVID-19,” Lathan added.

Houston’s Harris County reported more than 50,370 cases of the virus and 491 related deaths as of Wednesday afternoon: