Here’s what FWISD plans for classes, sports, masks, COVID-19 safety next school year
The Fort Worth school district will offer virtual and in-person learning for students and require students and staff to wear masks while on campus, the district said in a plan released Monday for the upcoming school year.
In a 23-page document, FWISD laid out preliminary plans for the fall 2020 school year as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Superintendent Kent Scribner emphasized all plans are subject to change.
“Unfortunately, COVID-19 will still be with us when we return on August 17, and with it, uncertainty,” he wrote in a letter at the beginning of the document. “Plans will remain flexible to accommodate potential changes.”
The district asked families to sign up for virtual learning by Aug. 3 if that’s what they choose. Students have to attend all their courses the same way — either 100% in-person or 100% online — but they will have the option to switch to the other form of learning after six weeks.
All core academic classes and most dual credit courses will be offered through online learning, but as of Monday, the district was still deciding which electives will be available online, according to the district’s plan.
The district will hold virtual town hall meetings on July 27 and July 28 for parents, teachers, students and others to ask district leaders about the plan for the fall semester. Each event will be from 5 to 7 p.m. and will be on the FWISD Facebook page. The July 27 meeting is also available at www.fwisd.org/27julio and the July 28 meeting is at www.fwisd.org/July28.
Students on campus
Students and staff at all of FWISD’s 82 elementary schools, 24 middle schools, 21 high schools and 16 other campuses will be required to wear face masks. Those who cannot for medical reasons will need to wear a face shield. Staff will take students’ temperatures every day, and students who have fevers will not be allowed inside.
Desks will be spaced out to adhere to social distancing guidelines, and shared spaces will be cleaned more thoroughly, the district’s plan says. Signs inside classrooms will remind students to space out, and they will have access to sanitizing stations throughout the school. Teachers will limit the amount of shared supplies in classrooms.
Students can bring face masks from home, or staff will give them the proper PPE. Teachers will instruct students on proper hygiene and hand washing, and parents should, too, the district said.
Students who take the bus will also need to wear a mask and sit no more than two to a seat. The district said it will increase ventilation on the buses, and drivers will go through a health screening each day.
For physical education or gym, activities where students are in contact with one another or close to each other should be avoided.
For recess, campus administrators will provide training for staff on guidelines for outdoor play, the district said.
Playgrounds will be “utilized when allowed, in accordance with current guidelines,” the district’s plan said.
Some schools might consider staggered recess schedules to reduce the number of children out at one time. Students should also bring their own water bottles instead of using water fountains, the district said.
Each campus will have its own pick-up and drop-off plans. At each school, the doors will open 20 minutes before the school day starts, and students will have to go straight to their homeroom. Parents are discouraged from going inside the school buildings.
For grades where students typically move classrooms, the students will instead stay inside their homeroom and teachers will come to them for each subject. Students also won’t get a locker.
Staff members will self-screen before they come to campus each day, the district said.
If students do not wear a mask, they face discipline from the school. The district also specified that if a student intentionally coughs, spits or sneezes on someone else, the action could be considered assault, and the student will face disciplinary action.
Virtual learning
Core academics for students of all grades will be offered online, FWISD said.
Students who opt for virtual learning will have to follow the same attendance and grading policies as usual. They are required to take online classes for a minimum of four hours a day. The district will provide Chromebooks and Internet hotspots to those who need them.
All FWISD staff have undergone, and continue to take, training on how to teach online classes, the district’s plan says. Teachers should work in an empty classroom on campus while teaching courses, and will hold virtual office hours and parent-teacher conferences.
The district’s plan did not specify whether teachers will choose to teach courses online or in person.
Students can take a social emotional learning course online.
“Online instruction for 2020-21 will be robust, organized, and a consistent experience for all students choosing this model of learning,” Scribner wrote about the district’s plan.
Other coronavirus policies
The Fort Worth school district laid out numerous ways it plans to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus on school grounds.
The district will increase cleaning and focus efforts on high-use areas, such as doorknobs and handles. Restrooms will be disinfected regularly, as will computers, books and other shared supplies.
If a student tests positive for coronavirus, his or her school has to immediately tell the school district’s health department, the district said. The campus will close temporarily so it can be cleaned. The district will inform all students and staff who had close contact with the person who tested positive — without disclosing the person’s name.
Students won’t be able to come back to school until their symptoms have improved, they have gone three days without a fever and until 10 days have passed since they first had symptoms.
As for athletics, all students can participate in extracurricular activities, even if they choose virtual learning. The district’s current athletic plan “is designed to help prevent exposures to COVID-19 for all student-athletes, coaches, and staff,” the district’s plan says, and will be updated continuously.
Athletes will need to wear face masks in accordance with the governor’s order, undergo daily health screenings and limit personal interaction. The district said fewer games will be played, but did not say any athletics would be canceled completely due to close contact.
FWISD said it drew from surveys sent in May and July to plan for the school year. Scribner wrote that almost 35,000 people responded to the survey about online learning and other strategies. As of July 10, 57% of FWISD parents said they’d like in-person instruction while 43% wanted virtual instruction.
Many Texas teachers are worried about heading back to their classrooms next month as the state continues reporting thousands of new coronavirus cases every day. An online petition calling for the TEA to “allow school to remain off campus until it is safe to return” drew more than 95,000 signatures by Monday afternoon.
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 5:28 PM.
