AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- With the start of the 2020-21 school year just over a month away, two Central Texas school districts are calling on the state to make changes to the plan to return to in-person instruction this fall.
Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD officials sent separate letters to Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath on Monday, calling on the state to allow local districts to make decisions based on local conditions. Leander's letter was also addressed to a number of elected officials across state government.
READ: Round Rock ISD letterREAD: Leander ISD letter
"We had all hoped that conditions would improve during the summer but, as you know, they have worsened dramatically over the past month, particularly in our metropolitan areas, including the Austin-Round Rock region," Flores wrote.
Both districts are asking state leaders for the following:
- Suspend in-person school until the seven-day average hospitalization rate is five or less, the threshold set by Austin Public Health for a Stage 2 response
- Provide additional funding to supplement costs incurred by districts to provide safe and effective learning, specifically by appropriating CARES Act funding directly to districts rather than supplanting state funding with this federal infusion meant to support pandemic efforts
- Suspend the STAAR and the A-F grading system for the 2020-2021 school year
"This is a historic moment in our country's public education system," Flores said. "Lives depend on the decisions we are making. We understand that the future of our country depends on the education we provide our students, but for long term success, we must protect our students and educators now. We must provide schools with the resources they need to keep students healthy and academically engaged in a safe environment until we are through this storm."
Although no official announcement has been made, Round Rock ISD will likely hold 100% of its classes online for the first three weeks. Flores made that announcement during a school board meeting Monday evening.
Leander ISD officials, in addition to the same requests as Round Rock ISD, are asking for:
- Flexibility to realistically minimize classroom ratios and provide social distancing
- A commitment to allocate current or future federal money specified for schools as a supplement to existing funding commitments by the state
"We want to be with our kids, full time, and in our classrooms," Leander ISD Superintendent Dr. Bruce Gearing said. "We want to support our families with regular schedules and the full complement of high-quality services our community deserves. We cannot jeopardize the health of our teachers in doing so."
Leander ISD is set to begin its classes on August 13; Round Rock ISD's first day is scheduled for August 20.
