TYLER, Texas — School districts have planned for months to reopen their doors for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic., On Tuesday, the state finally shared guidance on how they should do it.
Commissioner Mike Morath of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) hosted a conference call with school district superintendents to reveal details about how the 2020-21 school year should work. He previously announced schools would have in-person classes in August but did not at that time explain how.
Marty Crawford, the superintendent for Tyler Independent School District (TISD), said educators had a good sense of the possible guidelines ahead of time, so much of what Commissioner Morath said Tuesday lined up with TISD’s planning.
“I think TEA’s come out with a solid plan, a solid framework,” Crawford said. “We understand there’s gonna be a lot of fluidity within that plan as time goes on.”
“The commissioner and his whole team are trying their best to put forth some sort of plan that will work for every child in the state of Texas,” James Wilcox, superintendent of Longview Independent School District (LISD), explained. “So, it definitely is not a one-size-fits-all.”
According to a document posted on the TEA website, the state plans to distribute more than 70 million masks, 12 million sets of gloves, and 600,000 gallons of hand sanitizer to schools across the state, but the document adds, “usage is not required.”
Of that amount, Tyler ISD would receive roughly 205,000 masks, 78,000 gloves and 1,935 gallons of hand sanitizer. Longview ISD would receive approximately 97,000 masks, 37,000 gloves and 911 gallons of hand sanitizer.
The guidance from TEA does require all schools to offer virtual learning, and any parent who wishes, may at any time decide to keep their children at home instead of sending them to campus for their classes. Classes may either be held live, or with pre-recorded instruction that students can access at their own pace.
Wilcox said LISD will have a setup that makes it seamless for a child to switch from in-person to online and vice versa.
“With what’s going on now, you cannot require a parent or guardian to send their child somewhere where they feel unsafe,” Wilcox stated.
Crawford said even though school is scheduled to begin in less than two months, he appreciates the lead time afforded by TEA releasing these guidelines now.
“I think every school system probably had Plans A-G. And with today’s announcement, we were able to kind of slice some of those down,” Crawford said.
Wilcox said the worst-case scenario is a continued increase in hospitalizations for COVID-19. That could force schools to close again and go completely online, and he said school would become even more dependent on technology than it was this spring.
“Hopefully we won’t have to go to that scenario,” Wilcox added. “If we have a closure, it’ll be for one, two, three, four weeks and then we can get back to face-to-face.
“We feel like the best opportunity for our students is face-to-face with a great teacher in the classroom. We know that may not be possible all year this year.”
Crawford said small changes will have a big impact.
For instance, all middle and high schools in Tyler will use block schedules, which means students will spend less time in hallways. He added that there are still a few pieces of TISD’s plan that are yet to be determined, including how social distancing will impact lunch, sporting events, and fine arts programs. He also mentioned that the district may consider requiring students to wear masks while on buses, but that has not been decided yet.
“Our priority is student safety and well-being, and we want to make sure that they have the best school experience they possibly can," Crawford said. “May look a little different as far as some of some of the hygienic requirements that we're gonna be putting in place and the standards we would like to observe. But, at the same time, you know, a kid gets one shot at school. It's our job to make that the very best experience they possibly can get, and we're looking forward to it.”
Wilcox said Longview schools will install hand-washing stations at the entrance to every building, and students will be required to wash their hands before entering school for the day. He said enforcing social distancing will be a challenge.
“How can we expect a child to adhere to all of those rules when the adults, the role models in their life, are not?” Wilcox asked.
Crawford and Wilcox both said adhering to the guidelines may result in additional expenses for school districts, including the added cost of frequent cleanings. Crawford said TISD’s leadership spent much of the spring preparing for the logistical challenges a return to class might bring.
“One thing I think that we have to all understand is: COVID’s gonna be with us, probably for the rest of our lives until we can really lock down that vaccine," Crawford said. "And so, certainly understanding that, we just need to be super-cautious, hypercautious, every day we go to school.”
Wilcox said he and his staff are excited and ready to see children roam the halls of their schools again. While he believes LISD is well prepared, he knows much can change between now and the first bell.
“I think, here in Longview ISD, as well as every school district in the state of Texas their district leadership team and their local board of trustees are staying awake at night working on plans to keep their child safe and provide the best educational opportunity possible for that child,” Wilcox explained.