Community Impact Newspaper previously reported that RRISD announced it would no longer be considering a virtual learning option for the fall 2021 semester.
However, to accommodate parents who want virtual options because COVID-19 vaccines are not yet available to children under 12, the district has created three options for students. Those include traditional on-campus learning, on-campus accommodations based on requests from parents “to the extent possible,” and a partnership between home learners.
The partnership does not constitute official TEA-approved remote instruction, district staff stated at the July 15 meeting. Rather, it is a service for students who have been withdrawn to be homeschooled until vaccines are permitted.
“We would provide, as part of that [option], opportunities for live interaction with certified teachers to support the parents and caregivers along the way,” said RRISD Chief of Teaching and Learning Mandy Estes.
A presentation from the district stated “parents and caretakers are responsible for ensuring their students meet homeschool requirements for the state of Texas. Round Rock ISD provides two hours of daily content, including broad lessons based on the RRISD Scope and Sequence and interactive office hours.”
One on-campus option presented by Chief of Schools and Innovation Dr. Daniel Presley involves accommodating parents who ask for additional measures such as plexiglass desk partitions—which the district still has from the previous school year—or other safety implements RRISD can reasonably provide.
“We're primarily talking about [students] 12 and under who do not have access to the vaccine, and we get that," Presley said. "So, we're asking our principals to be flexible to work with the families.”
