Willis ISD superintendent talks sports, special education, success in remote learning

“We were really set up pretty well,” Harkrider said.

Now, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity for some students, he said, Much of the district is still fairly rural, but Harkrider estimated less than half do not have access to Wi-Fi.

The district still offers paper options for students who do not have Wi-Fi or prefer to not complete their assignments online. Most of the students who opt for paper options are at the elementary level, he said.

Weekly Zoom and Facetime sessions are scheduled so students can still see and interact with their classmates, Harkrider said. With schools closed, Harkrider said many students have realized just how important in-person interactions are with their peers.

“We’ve seen kids posting on Twitter that they miss school, and they’re 16 and 17 [years old],” he said. “That would never have happened in September.”

For special education students, Harkrider said case managers are calling to check in with parents, but the lack of personal instruction is difficult.

“Without that face-to-face connections, it’s just different,” he said.

And as for sports and fine arts, Harkrider said it was especially difficult for seniors—such as those in spring tennis, track and field, and soccer—to have their seasons cut short. Harkrider said he hopes the University Interscholastic League will move start times up earlier for fall sports such as volleyball and football so students will have more training time now that their offseason was cut short.