Fort Worth school district will offer option of online classes in fall amid COVID-19
The Fort Worth school district announced Wednesday that students may choose between returning to the classroom or continuing their learning online in the fall as the novel coronavirus continues to spread.
Starting July 1, parents will have the option of enrolling their students in the virtual program, which the district stressed will be more robust than it was in the spring and have higher expectations for both students and teachers.
Additionally, based on community feedback, the district chose not to move its start date. The first day of school will be Aug. 17, and all Fort Worth school district teachers will report to school in person, regardless of whether they are teaching online, in the classroom or both.
Clint Bond, a spokesman for the district, wrote in an email Wednesday that teachers have been receiving training and will often be with students in the classroom while they simultaneously teach kids who are learning virtually from home.
The district is still working on specifics. It plans to share details before school resumes on how it will handle a positive COVID-19 test of a student, teacher or staff member.
The district is not planning for longer breaks throughout the school year, Bond said. Students who return to the classroom will be required to be there every day. The district is discussing options regarding staggered start times, Bond said.
“Like everyone else we’ll just need to see what develops,” he wrote.
In its guidance for districts resuming in-person summer school, the Texas Education Agency recommended that desks be spaced six feet apart and placed a cap of 22 individuals in a typical classroom space.
Whether fewer students may be permitted in one classroom at a time will depend on how many choose to return to a brick-and-mortar classroom, Bond said.
The district’s fall plans were informed by the nearly 35,000 people who took part in its survey last month.
“In May, we asked all stakeholders for their feedback,” Superintendent Kent P. Scribner said in a statement. “Their thoughtful responses informed our decision to provide quality options for every student and family and their particular needs.”
Some of the top concerns for elementary and secondary students included fears of contracting COVID-19, how students will adjust to school, whether they’ll fall behind in classes and that they’ll not follow social distancing guidelines.
Parents and teachers were also concerned about the cleanliness of schools, and worried about the availability of personal protective equipment, such as face masks, and public health guidelines not being followed. According to the district’s news release, parents also wanted symptom checks to be required, and teachers were concerned with returning to school in-person too early.
Of those surveyed, 55% of parents, 55% of students, 56% of teachers and 52% of community members said they preferred sticking with the traditional school calendar, rather than shifting to an “intersessional,” or year-round, calendar that would include an earlier start and later end date with longer breaks built in throughout the year.
A handful of Tarrant County school districts said last month that they had already ruled out changing the school calendar.
When it came to modifying the school day, respondents preferred having students come to class on alternating days if necessary, rather than alternating start times, such as in the morning versus afternoon.
In a Texas Education Agency presentation on the topic of adjusting the school calendar, the agency noted disruptions are likely and districts will have to plan for a possible resurgence in COVID-19 cases and the need for targeted help for students who may fall behind.
The presentation cited research from the Northwest Evaluation Association, a nonprofit organization that develops assessments for students in pre-K through 12th grade, that predicted school closures will result in declines in learning gains, especially in math.
According to survey results, 62% of parents believe their student will be ready for the next grade level. Bond said both the Academic Department and Racial Equity and Equality Department are working to address achievement gaps and ensure the district’s “more fragile communities, as well as all students, are fully supported in all our decisions going (forward).”
On remote learning, 62% of parents said students were assigned the right amount of schoolwork, and 72% of parents said their student was provided enough instruction.
Other districts’ plans
Spokespeople for Arlington, Hurst-Euless-Bedford and Northwest said Wednesday they are waiting on TEA guidance before they announce their plans for the fall. A spokesman for TEA said the agency plans to issue guidance for the school year next week.
During a press conference Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott had said more details are expected to be announced later this week or next on fall plans.
“It is my expectation to see students return to schools in a classroom setting, able to interact with teachers as well as able to interact with other students,” Abbott said, with the hope that students can participate in sports and other extracurricular activities.
District leaders from Grapevine-Colleyville gave a presentation to the Board of Trustees Monday outlining considerations being taken into account, but “nothing has been adopted and there have been no recommendations made,” Kristin Snively, a spokeswoman for the district, wrote in an email Wednesday.
Other districts are collecting responses from parents and students through surveys.
Hope Boyd, a spokeswoman for the Mansfield school district, wrote in an email Wednesday that the district is surveying parents and staff.
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 11:31 AM.
