Leander ISD parents will choose either 100% in-person learning or100% remote instruction to start the 2020-21 school year.
The announcement came in a July 6 news release on the LISD website.
“After considering a 50/50 blended learning model where students in middle and high schools would attend school on some days and learn remotely at home on other days, we decided to narrow the focus of student choices to either a 100% Virtual Empowered Learning program or a 100% in-person program,” the news release stated. “This choice did not come easily as we considered the recent rules surrounding school funding from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), as well as the logistics school buildings and staff, including the workload for our teachers.”
For remote learning, which LISD is calling its Virtual Empowered Learning program, teachers will hold both live and self-paced instruction.
For in-person instruction, LISD will “will adhere to the safety and public health guidelines set by our local and national public health agencies, including face coverings, minimizing large gatherings, personal hygiene, contact tracing, health screenings and facility sanitization,” the news release said.
Support staff who work summer schedules will start returning to work July 13, the release said. Supervisors will share details with their employees later this week, according to the release.
The Texas Education Agency on July 7 released a public health planning guidance document for the 2020-21 school year to ensure health and safety during in-person and remote learning.
To further explain plans for the new school year, which starts Aug. 13, LISD will host webinars this week for teachers, staff and families.
Teachers and staff may register for a noon July 8 webinar at this location.
Elementary school families may register for a 1 p.m. July 8 webinar by following this link.
Middle and high school families may register for a 4 p.m. July 9 webinar here.
The news release did not state a deadline for when parents must decide which type of learning their student will use, nor did it reveal how teachers will be divided between in-person and remote instruction.
