Dripping Springs ISD officials are considering a range of virtual and in-person options for fall semester classes as they await further guidance from the state level. At a June 15 DSISD board of trustees meeting, Superintendent Todd Washburn and board members discussed planning considerations for August and beyond, acknowledging that continuing and changing COVID-19 restrictions could result in a range of outcomes.
"We have a challenge," Washburn said. "How do we reopen schools safely and responsibly given the health pandemic and the conditions that will be in place when we get to August?”
Washburn, who compared attempting to apply the traditional classroom model during a pandemic to "fitting a square peg in a round hole," said the district's teachers were working to prepare curriculum that was adaptable for in-person, virtual or hybrid learning models for the upcoming school year's first nine weeks of classes. Based on evolving COVID-19 case numbers and accompanying state and local gathering restrictions, all of these options are still on the table.
Some of the district's planning could be elucidated, Washburn said, once the Texas Education Agency gives further guidance on social distancing and other areas, a development expected in the coming days. For instance, if classrooms are required to operate at 50% capacity, a schedule alternating in-person attendance days for various groups of students would likely become necessary, and would promote a hybrid in-person/virtual learning model. 
