“We are still working the numbers, but our face-to-face is growing and our school at home is shrinking,” Bonser said.
PISD had 10,282 students, or 46% of total enrollment, whose families opted for face-to-face learning at the beginning of the school year, according to Chief Operating Officer Theresa Williams. Another 11,873 students chose to learn from home, Williams said. After the window to change learning methods closed Oct. 2, the district saw an 1% to 1.5% increase in families choosing to send their elementary-age children back to classrooms.
The shift from virtual to face-to-face instruction or vice versa is minimal in secondary grades as well, Williams said. The district saw a mix of students choosing to go face-to-face and students who are already on campus choosing to switch to virtual, she added.
The increase means some elementary classrooms will have up to 22 students, Williams said. The district will also have to invest in additional personal protective equipment, such as plexiglass shields between desks to ensure student safety, Williams said.
Officials said they will release an updated by-campus breakdown of in-person versus virtual learning in the coming weeks.
