Results from the most recent parent decisions show a slight drop to about 53% of students in the face-to-face environment once classes resume after the holidays. Families were given the option to change their learning method in November.
About 47% of students were signed up for in-person learning at the beginning of the year. For the second nine weeks, that percentage increased to 55%, according to district data.
Parent Nancy Sennetti said her two sons in high school based their choice of learning environment on how their campuses operate.
Her Plano Senior High School student participates in band, so attending classes in person through the hybrid model seemed natural, she said. Her younger son believed virtual learning at Academy High School’s block schedule and project-based curriculum would yield the same level of education as before, Sennetti said.
Parent Rhishi Joshi said keeping both of his students at home with his wife made more sense than sending them to school, with an exception for his older son’s basketball and band practices.
Both families have come up with plans to protect each other and mitigate spread, Joshi and Sennetti said.
“We are trying to find a balance,” Joshi said.
Plano ISD mom Amy Boerner helps her two daughters enrolled at Wyatt Elementary learn from home. Boerner said she opted for virtual learning for the fall semester but is switching her first grader to in-person school in the spring. She found that her younger daughter needs more consistent affirmation and attention to learn than her third grader over the course of the first semester, she said.
The hybrid model for high and senior high students will continue with on-campus instruction two days a week and remote learning the remaining three days, but students who are struggling academically or who have poor attendance may be required to do face-to-face learning four days a week in the spring semester.
Teachers also plan to increase interaction with and support for students during times previously set aside for students to do assignments on their own, according to the district.
A campus breakdown of student learning decisions can be found below and on the district's webpge. This data is based on enrollment and selections as of Dec. 10 and final numbers may fluctuate with enrollment changes, according to the district.
