Following guidance from the Texas Education Agency, Conroe, Montgomery and Willis ISDs opted to begin their school years virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. While select students were allowed to return to campus in mid-August, all three districts opened up in-person learning for all students Sept. 8 while still allowing students to work remotely.

Since then, more students are returning to in-person learning. See below how all three districts enrollment numbers have changed.

CISD began the school year with about 64% of students enrolled in face-to-face and 36% in remote. As of Oct. 20, in-person learning had increased to 75.6%, and remote had decreased to 24.4%, according to district officials.

MISD began the school year with about 85% of students attending in person, the highest of all three districts, and 15% remote. These rates have since shifted slightly toward in-person, to 88.2% and 11.8%, respectively, according to a presentation delivered at an Oct. 20 MISD board of trustees meeting.

The number of students attending in person in WISD increased from 60% on Sept. 8 to about 80% as of Oct. 23, according to district officials. Remote learning fell from 40% to 20%.

District officials are also keeping a close eye on COVID-19 case counts. As of Oct. 22, more than 400 total positive cases have been recorded among CISD students and district employees.

MISD updates

At the Oct. 20 board meeting, MISD officials provided an update on their COVID-19 task force and the procedures they were following. The district's contact tracing procedure is as follows.

1. Administration is notified of a teacher or student that has been confirmed COVID-19-positive or deemed close contact.
2. Administration notifies campus nurse to begin entering data on campus COVID-19 tracking document.
   
   — If teacher or student confirms positive, administration begins process of contact tracing, looking at situations where students were possibly not wearing masks, such as classes, lunches and buses.
   
   
   — Once close contacts are determined, administration begins parent notification process, and campus nurse issues a re-entry plan for each affected individual.
   
   — Later that day, campus notification letters are sent to entire student population as required by TEA.
3. In case of teacher or student who has been determined to be in close contact with COVID-19-positive person, administration notifies nurse, who issues re-entry plan for each affected individual.

Superintendent Heath Morrison emphasized that the district was doing the best it can with the resources it has available.

"There is no playbook. No district has better answers than us," he said.

The district also announced modifications to its remote learning expectations, which include requiring daily participation to show progress and completing tests within the designated time frame. Students who choose remote instruction but who are also participating in MISD activities must commit to return to in-person instruction by the beginning of the second semester, Jan. 5. More information can be found here.