As Alief ISD continues to plan for the upcoming school, students’ education and safety is its top concern.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, Superintendent HD Chambers revealed school officials’ decision for the district to begin its school year completely online.
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Despite students not returning to campus in August, the district is still planning social distancing and safety measures for when in-class learning can resume.
Here’s what to know so far for the upcoming school year:
Calendar
The first day of school is scheduled for August 6, 2020.
Click here to view the 2020-2021 school calendar.
Measures underway or being considered
Health
- Daily temperature checks required for all district employees
- Self-screening and reporting of COVID-19-related symptoms for all district employees, students, and building visitors
Hygiene
- Promoting hand hygiene (availability and frequent use of hand sanitizers)
- Additional cleaning and disinfecting of classrooms by custodial staff
- Frequent cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting of school bus surfaces
PPE
- Masks required for all district employees
Social distancing
- Distanced seating in classrooms where able, group size limits and decreased building capacity
- Schedule adjustments and related strategies to minimize traffic and gatherings
Instruction methods offered
All students will begin the fall semester completely online, at home.
Once the district is prepared to welcome students back to its schools, then students can participate in face-to-face instruction or continue at-home learning through Alief learns or Alief virtual school.
Face-to-face instruction
- The student would receive face-to-face instruction in a classroom setting, Monday - Friday.
- Preventative health and safety measures will be put into place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 throughout the district, on campuses and on bus transportation.
Virtual instruction
- The student would receive 100% online instruction through Alief ISD Learns at Home or Alief Virtual School (Powered by Pearson).
- Alief Learns option is available to all Alief ISD students in English and Spanish.
- Students will learn remotely in online courses taught by Alief ISD teachers.
- Students will receive live lessons daily as well as self-paced assignments.
- Families that do not have a device or internet connectivity may be eligible for district-issued equipment.
- Students and parents who experience technical difficulty will have dedicated support.
Key Differences in Alief Learns and Alief Virtual School
- Alief Learns courses are through Schoology. Alief Virtual School courses are through a vendor learning management system (Pearson).
- Parents can transition from Alief Learns to in-person instruction and vice versa. Students who would like a full-time virtual learning environment for the duration of the 2020-2021 school year can use Alief Virtual School instead.
- The decision to place the student into Alief Learns versus the Alief Virtual School will be determined by both the parent/guardian and the school administration. Space is limited for the Alief Virtual School.
Alief ISD is asking all parents to complete online enrollment and choose a preferred instruction method for their child(ren).
Parents will also provide other key pieces of information to assist with AISD’s planning process, including questions on bus transportation, devices, and internet connectivity.
Survey
Alief ISD sent out a survey to parents in June.
Results from that survey show that about 65 percent of parents said they were concerned about their children returning to school.
AISD has sent a new survey to parents asking whether they prefer their children to stay home or return to school.
The district expects those results in the next few days.
Recent updates
For the most recent updates regarding the upcoming school year, visit the Alief ISD website.
Do you have questions about Alief ISD’s plan?
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