Return to School Family Update | July 13
LISD Families,
The LISD Board of Trustees and district administration met last week to discuss plans for returning to school in August. As I have previously shared with you, we have been examining every possible option for the start of school. Now we are ready to share more about those plans with you. Today’s update is a broad overview, and more specific information will be coming soon.
Please hold on to your questions for right now, and look through the additional information we will share later this week before reaching out to us for more information. I know you have a broad range of questions about how things will work, and very specific questions about your individual concerns. We cannot respond to all your individual questions at this time, but we will share Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) in the coming days.
You can visit the LISD website - LISD.net/returntoschool - for more information now, and additional information will be regularly added.
While we have some local control over our choices and the options we offer, the State and Texas Education Agency (TEA) are the ultimate authorities on most of what school districts can do. We must follow the guidelines and expectations they put in place, and they are requiring an In-Person option, 5 days a week. We are also able to offer a virtual option for families to complete learning at home.
Before I get into the logistics, let me be clear: the health of our students and staff is absolutely our top concern. We will take every possible precaution as we fully return to school. I realize opinions vary on just about every safety measure we may consider, as well as whether we should even return to school at all.
LISD families can expect safety protocols such as face coverings in specific situations, social distancing, limited numbers of students in the hallways, changes to lunch procedures and more. For us, this is not a political debate or stance. It is about following the advice of medical experts to do our very best to keep students and staff safe.
I know some parents may not agree with any or all of our precautions, but I must strongly emphasize - students will be expected to follow all of our safety procedures. Your student will have the option to participate in virtual learning if our In-Person plans don’t work for your family.
LEARNING OPTIONS
This school year, families will have learning options to choose from — In-Person or Virtual learning. Later this week you will receive more information about what these learning options will look like. We will also share with you a selection form to complete so you can choose which path your student(s) will take. Families will have until July 22 to finalize their selections. Per TEA guidelines, families will also have the opportunity to modify their selection up until two weeks prior to the first day of school.
LISD will offer two learning options for elementary students (Pre-K-5) during the 2020-21 school year.
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In-Person Learning:
Students return to campus full-time with additional safety precautions and procedures. -
Virtual Learning:
Students opt to participate in virtual learning full-time from home.
LISD will offer three learning options for secondary students (grades 6-12) during the 2020-21 school year:
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In-Person Learning:
Students return to campus full-time with additional safety precautions and procedures. -
Virtual Learning:
Students opt to participate in virtual learning full-time from home. -
Virtual Learning Plus:
Students opt to participate in virtual learning from home with some elective courses in person, on campus.
I wanted to get an overview out to our families as soon as possible, more detailed information will be shared with you in the next few days with the selection form.
Please know we will do our best to support our students, our families, our communities and each other. I am grateful to serve as your superintendent, and so thankful for each of you.
Kevin Rogers, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Lewisville Independent School District