Texas students could soon learn how a school year derailed by coronavirus will end
When it comes to the school year and the coronavirus, there are a lot more questions than answers.
Many students wonder how long they’ll stay home from school.
And many parents worry about whether their students will advance to the next grade level, school will extend into the summer — or what colleges and high schools will do about graduation.
“The only thing you can continue to expect, in some ways, is the unexpected,” said state Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth. “I don’t think anyone knows anything definitive at this point.”
He and other lawmakers have had the opportunity to sit in on conference calls where school superintendents, Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath discuss these and other issues.
“The leadership at the top is very reactive and schools are doing a wonderful job of handling this type of situation,” said state Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington. “Everyone is taking this very seriously.”
Most North Texas schools have announced they are closed at least for the next two weeks.
But top Texas school officials recently indicated that schools could remain closed through this school year, which is scheduled to wrap up for many in May, because of the coronavirus spreading across the world.
The Fort Worth school district on Wednesday hopes to share “instructional engagement activities,” according to a statement from Clint Bond, a spokesman for the district.
Those activities likely are online guides to help students keep up with their studies, similar to plans other school districts have shared with parents and students.
As for how students will make up for lost schoolwork, whether they will have to go to school in the summer to make up for lost class days and what happens to graduations, officials hope to soon get information from the TEA.
The “TEA is corresponding with Superintendents, but have shared that they will provide guidance by this Thursday,” Bond’s statement said. “Our hope is that TEA provides district’s guidance in each of these areas.”
TEA officials say they’ll share more information as it becomes available.
Scary time
TCU students, meanwhile, will switch to online classes March 23. Those classes are expected to continue through at least April 3, barring any changes.
“This time of year normally signals great promise with the advent of spring on our beautiful campus,” TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini wrote in a note sent Monday. “However, this is clearly not a routine year; it’s an uncertain, and even scary, time for many of us.”
He wrote that TCU is working “to navigate details of instructional continuity and support services for students near and far.”
And while online instruction isn’t ideal, “we are committed to providing you with the best possible ‘off campus’ experience until that time when we can gather together on campus.”
UTA also moved classes online “out of caution and concern for the health and safety” of students, professors and all at the university, spokesman Joe Carpenter said.
“While we are implementing standards and practices that facilitate social distancing and uphold the health and safety of our faculty, staff and students, we remain committed to providing the first-class education students come to UTA to pursue,” Carpenter said. “As this outbreak evolves, we will continue to work with state and federal officials, as well as our peers in higher education, to determine the best, safest way forward.”
Statewide call
Last week, Abbott declared a statewide health disaster because of coronavirus.
On Monday, the governor waived testing requirements regarding the mandated STAAR tests for all Texas students.
To stop the spread of the coronavirus, local school districts extended Spring Break for weeks and Fort Worth, Arlington and Tarrant County banned gatherings of 250 people. Businesses have been urged to limit large gatherings.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 2:48 PM.
