Texas Education Agency announces districts can provide remote instruction while receiving funding

HOUSTON – The Texas Education Agency announces it will provide funding waivers to school systems that offer remote instruction in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

To qualify, districts must provide daily on-campus instruction for families that want to come to campus. However, the agency outlined several expectations for this rule:

• As part of an 8-week back-to-school transition period, school systems can offer a solely remote instructional setting, subject to some requirements;
• For up to 5 days if a school building is closed due to confirmed COVID-19 case on campus, at any point during the school year, schools will be funded for providing remote-only instruction;
• Even beyond this 5-day expectation, any day a school building is closed as part of a legally authorized closure order, schools will be funded for providing remote-only instruction;
• High schools can offer an alternating on-campus/remote instruction experience, in order to reduce the number of students in a campus building at one time.

Here is a statement from TEA Commissioner Mike Morath:

Yesterday, the Texas Attorney General issued guidance that indicated that blanket school building closures ordered by local public health authorities for preventative purposes are not lawful. School systems planning on starting the year with 100 percent remote instruction will still be fully funded in accordance with TEA’s previously announced 8-week back to school transition funding waiver. Lawful building closures orders will continue to enable a school system to be funded when providing remote-only instruction. Also, it’s important to note that the school date remains at the discretion of local school boards.