Many school districts throughout the state have had to alter or cancel their plans to provide remote learning in the coming school year after House Bill 1468—which would have provided funding to allow public schools to continue offering virtual learning in the 2021-22 school year—failed to pass in the 2021 state legislative session.
At a June 8 school board meeting, SISD Superintendent Rodney Watson said the district was still planning to move forward with its virtual academy next year, pending review of a waiver request to the Texas Educational Agency. The district confirmed on June 16 that the TEA denied that request.
“We’ve learned in recent days that we will not be able to secure a waiver from the TEA, so we are planning in-person learning for all of our students,” district officials said in a statement. “We know some of our families were excited for the virtual option, and we will continue to look at ways to expand opportunities for students to learn through online and blended learning in the future.”
SISD now joins several local school districts that have scrapped their plans to offer distance learning due to lack of funding, including Klein and Cy-Fair ISDs.
