Planning for the 2020-21 School Year

What are the learning options for 2020-21?

• OPTION 1 - Daily, Face-to-Face Instruction on Campus - Students attend school for the entire school day, with teachers providing face-to-face instruction. Safety protocols and social distancing in place to the best possible degree. Scheduling to be designed to limit prolonged contact with a large number of different students throughout the school day, as reasonable/able. G-PISD is working to develop specific plans for full-day, on-campus instruction with guidelines just released from TEA on July 7th, and updated guidelines anticipated soon from the CDC regarding school safety considerations. Please keep in mind that social distancing is contingent on many factors including the number of students enrolled in this option. We need parent feedback via this survey to determine what preliminary enrollment may look like, and thus develop the plans accordingly for further release prior to the start of the school year. In the event of any unforeseen building closure or quarantine required, learning would continue at home for a temporary period of time with students using district-issued devices.

• OPTION 2 - Virtual / Online Academy at Home - Students engaging with teachers and completing assignments every school day via district-issued device(s) at home, with daily attendance recorded for progress and direct communication with teachers. Flexibility available during the school day to support family needs, as long as student keeps up with daily assignments/schedules and communicates with teachers every day.

When do I need to make a decision for my child(ren)?

Parents are asked to choose an option for the first 9 weeks of the school year, to be confirmed via online registration in Skyward Family Access (when released on or before July 30th). When online registration is available, a Skyward email will be distributed asking primary parents/guardians to make a final commitment for their student(s) for the first grading period of the school year. This survey is meant to obtain information earlier for planning purposes, but please keep in mind that your child’s schedule and teacher assignments will not be finalized until we receive your commitment in Skyward through the online registration process.

Please be sure to complete the *REVISED* parent survey before 4 p.m. on Monday, July 20th: www.g-pisd.org/parentsurvey

Thank you!

*REVISED* JULY 2020 SURVEY NOW AVAILABLE UNTIL 4 p.m. MONDAY, JULY 20th - A parent survey has been released so that parents can provide information that our Principals urgently need to move forward with planning. Please consider the learning options above, and complete this survey as soon as possible to give us information we need from you including which option is most ideal for your student(s). As mentioned regarding the Hybrid Model, information is needed to determine what a modified schedule may look like for your student’s campus, based on the number of families wanting their students to be served via that option. The *REVISED* parent survey was released on July 9th, with a new learning option after TEA guidelines were received on Tuesday, July 7th. If you submitted the survey before 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 9th, please RE-SUBMIT -- Thank you!

To complete this survey, which is vital for school planning during the next few weeks at each campus, please visit www.g-pisd.org/parentsurvey.

JUNE 2020 Survey Results - A parent survey was also released in early June, both to receive feedback after our immediate response to the COVID-19 crisis and also to obtain preliminary thoughts regarding different learning models for the coming school year. Parents were asked to submit one survey per household. If you would like to view these survey results from June 2020, please visit g-pisd.org/June2020survey.

Where can I find the 2020-21 School Calendar? Please CLICK HERE to view the school calendar.

What changes were made to the School Calendar for this year due to COVID-19, after it was approved in Feb. 2020? During a meeting of the G-PISD Board of Trustees meeting on June 15th, our school board approved a change to our school calendar that lengthened the school day by 30 minutes. This was intentionally done to ensure that our students and families can benefit from additional instructional minutes that will provide flexibility in the event we need to close school due to any unforeseen or extenuating circumstances.

Please explain what we can expect with this year regarding student grades and attendance. TEA established increased grading and attendance requirements to ensure all students across Texas are fully engaged and advancing in academics throughout the school year. Daily attendance, engagement, and progress will be necessary for both learning options. All options will offer engagement with teachers and peers, systems for flexible student support, and ongoing, targeted interventions and enrichment. Fine arts and physical education will be a part of the instructional program along with co-curricular and extracurricular activities to the fullest extent possible. We will comply with guidance from the University Interscholastic League (UIL). We will continue to monitor local health conditions and work with city and county health officials. When public health conditions improve, and we’re given clearance from all entities, we will move forward to bring all students back to the classroom full time.

With online learning at home, and some online instruction in the classroom ... will every student have a device? G-PISD is committed to providing seamless instruction this school year, and one way we aim to achieve that goal will be to provide every student with a district-issued device. Students will be issued a device to support in-person and virtual learning, depending on what families choose. While having the devices and access to the internet is a step in the right direction, we also recognize the need to provide families with training and support to assist their children with virtual learning. Within the coming weeks, we will be communicating with families our plans to deploy the devices and provide training on the use of the devices and learning platforms.

I am concerned about health/safety on campus this year. What is the plan? We know that COVID-19 will continue to exist in our community for the long term, and it is highly unlikely that a vaccine will be available by the time school starts. Therefore, we will be instituting a number of safety protocols, as recommended by the CDC, TEA, and federal/state/local authorities to mitigate the spread of the virus. This includes (but is not limited to):

• Conducting more frequent cleaning and disinfecting at all campuses/facilities along a strict schedule, and as needed/requested by staff;
• Providing additional health and hygiene training for all staff and students;
• Requiring face masks and/or face shields to be worn as required by orders from the governor/state or other authorities;
• Temperature checks during every 1st period class, every day on campus;
• Creating adjusted schedules on campuses to limit interaction with large groups of people, and support social distancing to the best degree possible;
• Limiting visitors at campuses and facilities as able and aligned with TEA guidelines;
• and a variety of other changes that will be communicated in the next few weeks as plans are solidified.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, our best option to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 when social distancing may be limited (or not possible) is to wear face masks/coverings, clean and disinfect personal and shared spaces frequently, and ensure hygiene practices are followed. While we will do our very best to maintain social distancing at school, the ability to do so will depend on a number of factors including most significantly the number of students who are enrolled in the in-school, face-to-face instruction learning option. Families with concerns should strongly consider the remote, virtual (online-only) option for instruction. If choosing the in-school, face-to-face option, families with concerns may want to plan for student transportation to/from school instead of having students ride a school bus (if possible).

Will programs like band, choir, art, theatre, and others be offered in school this year? Many logistical needs must be addressed for each campus before we can determine an answer to this question. These programs often include or require a gathering of a larger number of students than in a standard classroom, and many in indoor spaces. There are also unique factors to consider as well in terms of how instruction/practice takes place for each program (for example, choir often requires vocal projection, which if conducted as traditionally done may pose an increased risk for COVID-19). We will be considering whether alternatives/changes could be implemented that would make these programs as safe as possible for students and staff. We're researching options, and consulting UIL guidelines/requirements as they are made available/released. Families will be notified when decisions have been made regarding these programs.

Will Athletic programs be offered this year? We plan to move forward with offering these programs unless local, state, or national authorities, including UIL and TEA, determine it is not possible to do so safely. UIL guidelines and recommendations are being released in a phased manner for athletics, and we are considering all of that information to determine next steps and safety requirements to participate in various sports activities -- most of which are usually held outdoors, or could be easily held outdoors.

What safety measures will be required for bus riders? All students who ride the bus will need to wear a face mask prior to entry and during the ride, per TEA guidelines. Additionally, a temperature check will be performed for each bus rider upon arrival at school. More information will be communicated soon for families with students who ride the bus to, or from, school.