LISD Families, 

I want to share a few updates with you, and thank you for your continued support as we make decisions that impact our students, families and staff. We’ve received many emails with some great questions, and a good number showing understanding and offering support. Of course we’ve received a few expressing frustration, disappointment and even anger. Please hear me - I get all of those emotions. I promise you we will keep doing all we can to serve and support everyone who is depending on us, and we will keep the lines of communication open. 

LONE FINALIST FOR LISD SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS NAMED
Last night the LISD Board of Trustees named Dr. Lori Rapp as the lone finalist for the district’s superintendent position. I had the great fortune to be a part of this process, and I will say in no uncertain terms, this hire is a home run. 

You can read more on the LISD website.

FREE CURBSIDE MEALS
The following elementary school campuses will host curbside meal pick up between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26 through Friday, Jan. 28.

• Vickery
• Mill Street
• Lewisville
• Southridge
• Camey
• Polser

Read more about the requirements to receive free curbside meals on the LISD website.

ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I want to try and briefly respond to some of the common questions we’ve received from our last update. Please understand - we do our best to send individual responses, but that is not always possible. 

Why continue with extracurricular activities when school is canceled?
Please remember that our closures are due to staff shortages, and that is not the case in extracurricular activities. Our data analysis program allows us to track COVID cases by activity as well as coaches and directors. If we see a program with rising numbers, we can address that on a program basis. It would be very difficult to reschedule all the events. Further, there are UIL implications for missing/rescheduling events, which could negatively impact our students. 

Will the district announce more closures for next week?
We hope not, but nothing is certain right now. If the numbers rise significantly, all options will need to remain on the table.

Will the missed days be made up?
The district will communicate a plan for this as soon as possible, but we are not yet ready to finalize that decision. We also need to keep in mind that this is still January, and we may be facing the same issues in the future. We will want to wait until we feel we are out of the worst of this, and then make appropriate decisions. Waivers, bad weather make up days, extending the school calendar, or even slightly extending the school day are all options. 

Why aren’t we requiring masks?
As the district has shared since the beginning of the school year, LISD will not violate the governor's executive order, which prohibits mask mandates. We understand many disagree with this stance and believe this is somehow a political position taken by the district. That is not the case. I, along with many staff members, are wearing masks every day. But it is against the law for us to mandate masks. We continue to encourage students and staff to wear masks, but we will not mandate it. 

In closing, I want to again thank you for your support of our students and staff. Now more than ever, we need our communities to rally behind our teachers, campus leaders, and the district as a whole.

Thank you, 

Gary Patterson
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Lewisville ISD