JEFFERSON — Jefferson ISD Superintendent Rob Barnwell on Friday offered another update on the district’s ongoing plans and guidelines for the start of the 2020-21 school year, most specifically relating to the district’s sporting events.  Barnwell said students who attend traditional, in person classes will be allowed to participate in UIL and extracurricular activities though he said depending on the ongoing changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent protocols sent to districts from the Texas Education Agency and Gov. Greg Abbott, some athletic seasons or contests may be suspended. view article

Pine Tree ISD Superintendent Steve Clugston says if the district’s COVID-19 safety plan is followed this school year, exposure to the virus shouldn’t happen.  The district released its guidelines this week for 2020-21 that mirror other area districts with on-campus and online learning options and face mask requirements.  The guidelines also include monitored recess and PE, extra daily cleaning and a call for students to bring their own water bottles to school.  “I feel good about our plan, I really do,” Clugston said.  view article

Merrill Green has made a difference in plenty of people’s lives over the years, and on Saturday, dozens helped bring a smile to his face during a parade to celebrate Green’s 90th birthday.  “We haven’t been able to come visit our dad because of [the pandemic],” said Sylvia Franze, Green’s youngest daughter, who traveled several hours to Bryan for the celebration. “We miss our mama, but it’s pretty cool today to think you could go 90 years and be as active and relevant as he is.” view article

Port Neches-Groves ISD has new ticket guidelines for football games at its stadium.  Also, UIL will permit live streaming for the football season view article

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso Independent School District officials have decided to ask the board of trustees to extend virtual learning for the first grading period.  “Currently, the city orders in place would be virtual until September 7. We are requesting to extend that an additional 4 weeks,” El Paso ISD spokesperson Melissa Martinez said.  The request will go to the board August 11 and if it is approved, it will move forward to the Texas Education Agency and they will have to approve it as well. view article

Katy ISD has begun planning for boundary modifications for the 2021-22 school year with the opening of Junior High No. 17 in fall 2021. KISD Chief Operations Officer Ted Vierling and demographer Kris Pool from Population and Survey Analysts presented the recommendations for adjusting boundaries to accommodate the new junior high school, located at 25737 Clay Road, Katy, at the July 27 regular board of trustees meeting. view article

In one of North Texas’ smaller communities, Keene ISD is about to be on a big stage. Superintendent Ricky Stephens will open the district’s three campuses to students Tuesday. “It’s going to be a year like we’ve never seen before,” Stephens said. Stephens estimates 75% of the 1,079 students are expected to show up in-person. Classrooms are ready for virtual learning too, each with a laptop and tablet to allow teachers to instruct students in both settings, simultaneously. view article

Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District will begin the 2020-21 school year remotely, then offer parents the choice between in-person and remote instruction. During a meeting Friday, the district’s Board of Trustees voted to begin the school year remotely on Aug. 17 and then provide both in-person and online instruction beginning Sept. 8. view article

It’s time to go back to school for one Texas school district. Edna ISD started class Thursday for both remote and face-to-face learning. They’re one of the first public school districts in Texas to resume classes in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time since Spring Break, kids are back to class. It’s a sight many have waited months to see view article

On Monday, August 3, the school board for the Carroll Independent School District (CISD) in Southlake, a suburb of Fort Worth, will consider adopting a “Cultural Competence Action Plan.” The plan is being presented by the “District Diversity Council” (DDC), a group of students, parents, and staff that was formally created by CISD in January 2019 after a video of teen students chanting racial slurs sparked outrage among many students and parents. view article

In the first week of Leander ISD families choosing which type of instruction they will enter when virtual learning ends Sept. 8, 54% of the district’s projected enrollment has already responded, according to LISD spokesperson Matt Mitchell. view article

Wylie ISD released its reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year called "Return to Learn." The plan was released July 29. According to the 24-page document, 85-percent of parents plan to send their kids to campus for in-person learning. view article

School districts all over the Coastal Bend are busy preparing for the upcoming academic school year and administrators are taking extra measures to ensure students are safe. view article

More than half of the Commitment Response Forms received by McKinney ISD opted for in-person learning during the first nine weeks of the school year, according to preliminary numbers provided by the district July 30. More than 12,000 responses chose the in-person option as the district prepares to resume face-to-face learning at some point during the 2020-21 school year. view article

Abilene ISD released its reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year. The 19-page document outlines the procedures to prevent or slow the spread of COVID-19. Also included are protocols for how schools will respond as positive cases are reported. view article

Allen ISD Superintendent Robin Bullock on Wednesday shared district numbers revealing how many students had selected an in-person or remote learning model for the fall.  As of Wednesday evening, 10,614 students, or 49.4 percent, selected remote learning. 45.5 percent of students, or 9,775 respondents, selected in-person learning. view article

SAN ANTONIO - North East ISD said it will remain virtual for the first three weeks of this year, for now.  In a video letter to parents, staff and students, NEISD Superintendent Dr. Sean Maika said his staff will not make a 'knee jerk reaction' to the letter, which is not legally binding.  "As we have done since March, we will not make a knee jerk reaction but rather continue our focus on developing plans that are in the best interest of our students, employees and parents," Dr. Maika said. "Therefore, schools will remain virtual for the first three weeks of this year." view article

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- After Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's guidance on schools reopening noted that public health officials do not have the authority to mandate school closures as a preventative measure, the Texas Education Agency, along with the CDC, made adjustments to its guidance as well.  Maria Abonce, a teacher and a mother of four, feels it's unfair to students and teachers that guidance from state and local officials have been at odds when it comes to reopening schools. view article

A group of parents and students held a rally Thursday afternoon in protest of the district’s decision to hold classes virtually until after Labor Day. Around 20 protesters stood outside the Plano ISD administration building with signs.  On July 17, the district announced in-person learning would be postponed until Sept. 9. Superintendent Sara Bonser said the decision was made out of safety concerns following the changing COVID-19 cases in Collin County.  As of Wednesday, about half of families in the district opted for virtual learning. view article

Following hours of public comments during an emergency meeting, Fort Worth ISD leaders decided Thursday to begin the school year online on Sept. 8. for the first four weeks of the school year.  At a news conference Thursday, FWISD superintendent Dr. Kent Scribner said the hope to be able to bring students back to in-person learning as soon as possible, but he also recognized the "ever-changing landscape of health conditions and guidance from local agencies."  "If after those four weeks, health conditions don’t improve...the board would then have to take a vote to continue it. They would be continuous four weeks, so eight weeks potentially at the beginning of the year," Dr. Scribner said. "However, situations change. We’ve seen that this week, we want to monitor and adjust." view article

The Comal Independent School District will forge ahead with physically reopening its five schools within Bexar County despite an order from San Antonio’s health authority that schools remain physically closed until after Labor Day because of the coronavirus surge.  The decision is part of the fallout from an opinion by Attorney General Ken Paxton that sets out limits on the power of local health agencies to order schools closed as infections continue to spread. The opinion was followed by the Texas Education Agency notifying districts that they could lose funding if schools are closed solely on the basis of a health authority order. It had an immediate effect on districts such as Comal and Boerne, which have schools in more than one county. view article

BURNET, Texas (KXAN) — More than half of the Burnet County Independent School District student body has not registered for the upcoming school year, sparking immediate concern from district officials as they try to make plans for the fall semester.  According to a Facebook post published by BCISD on Thursday, 56% of students enrolled in the 2019-20 academic year have not completed their returning-student registration process. 69% of families have not indicated which learning method, either virtual or in-person, they intend to choose. view article

“Over the past month, TEA announced a funding waiver framework that fully funds schools for remote instruction for the entire year for any family that requests remote instruction. To generate funding for remote instruction, school systems must also provide daily on-campus instruction for families that want to come on campus, with several critical exceptions designed to maximize the health of students, teachers, and staff:   (30) view article

This will be the first of several documents we post as we continue to plan for the 2020-2021 school year. Subsequent postings will cover each aspect of school operation such as health protocols, extracurricular activities, and transportation of students. We continue to appreciate your patience as our entire staff works at systematically addressing the issues associated with Covid-19 and the resulting guidelines and mandates from the State, the Texas Education Agency, and the University Interscholastic League. Below are our initial remote/online instructional guidelines. view article

The Coppell ISD Board of Trustees approved Monday to delay the start of the school year to Aug. 17.  Aug. 12, the original first day of school, and Aug. 13 and 14 are now professional development staff work days and student holidays, according to the district’s updated calendar.  Kristen Streeter, Administrative Services assistant superintendent, said the change would allow for more time to get personal protective equipment provided by the Texas Education Agency. view article

Kelly Strenski, the Director of the Fine Arts for the Wichita Falls ISD has said the WFISD band will not participate in a competitive marching band season this fall due to concerns of the spread of COVID-19.  The silver lining is that each high school will still produce a marching show, although significantly shorter in length and will include a number of safety measures intended to ensure student safety. view article

DESOTO – The DeSoto ISD Trustees voted unanimously Monday night that September 8 will be the district’s first day of school. Staff presented two options to the trustees. Both options had the district’s start date on September 8 with option one having the last day of school being June 8, 2021.  The second option presented, and the option that passed, allows for the district’s last day of school to remain the current date of May 28, 2021. Option two is possible by adding 20 minutes to each school day. view article

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – Fort Worth ISD has moved its 2020-2021 start date and will hold classes by virtual means only for the first four weeks of the school year.  Trustees approved the changes during an emergency board meeting on Thursday as the new school year approaches amid the COVID-19 pandemic. view article

Beaumont ISD is counting on parents to complete their online registration before an Aug.3 deadline in order to finalize their plans and classroom structures for the 2020-21 school year. So far, only about 30% of expected students have registered with almost 70% of those students opting for virtual instruction.  How the 70% who have not yet registered will choose to learn is essential for the final weeks of planning, district officials told The Enterprise. view article

The question of how schools will start the year has led to a host of plans from local districts, leading to confusion for parents.  Amid a week that has brought new developments by the day as it pertains to the best course of action for schools to take for instruction at the start of the fall semester – and the evolving political leeway shaping those conversations – San Antonio-area leaders are reaching out to Gov. Greg Abbott in a plea for guidance.  view article

Lubbock ISD has provided a statement that outlines procedures they will be adopting for band programs during Fall 2020.  The statement says that its concluded the size and volume of infected aerosol droplets projected from the lungs and oral cavity are the greatest contributors for concern relating to COVID-19. Considering playing an instrument in band is built on breath, here are some guidelines Lubbock ISD is adopting to prevent the spread of viruses: view article

At Frisco ISD’s July 23 Board of Trustees special meeting, parents expressed concerns about how the school year’s three-week online start would impact students with special needs and who needed assistance with dyslexia.  Frisco resident Colette McCadden said one of the reasons she chose to address the school board was because her child has significant special needs. Her son has severe autism, she said, and lost 11 weeks of instruction time in the spring semester. She said he now stands to lose three more.  “My child does not learn virtually at all,” she said. “His [Individualized Education Program] states that he is to receive one-on-one instruction for teaching of new skills. He requires hands-on learning.” view article

What is the most important thing you need to get ready for high school? Parents and students undoubtedly have two different answers, but this year, there is one thing everyone can agree on. Preparation for this school year will be different from any other.  Shareefah Mason, a Dallas ISD Distinguished Teacher and a 2020 Presidential Leadership Scholar, said preparation is the best thing a parent can do for their child.  “Parents need to think of themselves as coaches,” Mason said. “Right now, we have a lot of stressors and we don’t need any additional stressors.” view article

AUSTIN, Texas — Several teachers and education advocates have expressed concern after the Texas Education Agency released new guidelines on Tuesday. The state now said it will not fund schools if classrooms remain closed after the first eight weeks of the school year.  "It seems like every other day there's something new that they're throwing at school districts and our school employees," said Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina. "The plans have have just drastically changed." view article

Students and teachers will have more opportunities for live interaction during Frisco ISD’s all-virtual start to the 2020-21 school year, according to district officials. FISD's first three weeks of the fall instruction will be in an all-virtual learning environment due to increased spread of the coronavirus. view article