In an attempt to safeguard the community and slow the spread of COVID-19, Eanes ISD and Lake Travis ISD announced March 14 that both districts will close all campus operations until April 5.
Now, following the end of the district’s scheduled spring break March 23, students are gearing up for new remote learning practices.
EISD families are able to pick up iPads from the district’s technology services staff via a drive-thru system, according to a letter from Superintendent Tom Leonard, who added that the district's child nutrition team will be distributing daily meals to all eligible families in a similar fashion.
As district staff undergoes virtual professional development meetings, parents can except to receive information regarding remote learning from their campus principals March 24. Teachers have been instructed to reach out to students by March 25, with remote learning officials beginning the next day.
“Today is only the beginning,” Leonard said. “This week commence the start of our new approach for not only teaching and learning but how we operate our school district moving forward.”
Throughout the process, the district is utilizing a system called Skylert to communicate with staff members and families, as well as social media pages and the EISD website.
LTISD students are also set to begin remote learning March 26 and can anticipate continuing that practice until at least April 3, according to Superintendent Brad Lancaster.
Teachers and support staff members will be finalizing online learning plans leading up to the start date, and parents can expect to receive additional instructions March 25.
“We recognize there will be a need for flexibility in the amount of content being delivered as well as in how students will be assessed and graded by their teachers,” Lancaster wrote in a letter to the community.
Parents should not expect to witness a replication of their child’s typical classroom instruction while using remote learning, according to Lancaster, who also asked for the community's patience as the district implements these innovative approaches to learning.
The more than 11,400 students of LTISD will access online learning though Schoology, a virtual learning management system.
Lancaster explained that at this point, the district is operating under the assumption that normal school operations will resume April 6.
