Carroll ISD to explore virtual learning options at Aug. 23 board meeting

Carroll ISD’s board of trustees will be considering a virtual academy option for students who are too young to be vaccinated during the board's Aug. 23 meeting.

In a districtwide community update on Aug. 19, CISD Superintendent Lane Ledbetter announced the district will bring several virtual learning options to the board of trustees, along with the financial impact of each option to the district’s budget. At this time, remote learning is not funded by the state legislature.

"We do not this year, get to count those [remote students] for attendance credit," Ledbetter said during an update on Aug. 12. "When we offered the Dragon Virtual Academy, the state was funding us for every child logged in."

This virtual option would primarily serve students in Pre-K through sixth grade who are not eligible for the vaccine, Ledbetter said. The COVID-19 vaccine is not available to children under the age of 12 yet and masks remain optional across Carroll ISD campuses.

The Texas Senate’s Education Committee did approve a proposal on Aug. 10 that would fund online learning in most school districts. Although that bill is now headed to the full Senate, it won’t be taken up by the Texas House until a full quorum is reached.

As COVID-19 Delta cases continue to rise, many local school districts have started to look at possible online learning options. Metroplex-area districts such as Richardson ISD, Plano ISD and Dallas ISD are now offering a virtual learning option to their students.