Friendswood ISD will no longer be seeking exemption from several state requirements as part of its updated district of innovation, or DOI, plan, following board approval at its May 11 meeting.
The details
The district must renew its DOI status every five years and may revise their exemption requests during that process, according to the Texas Education Agency.
The plan was posted for a 30-day public review period with no public comments received and was approved by the District Advisory Committee, or DAC, at a public meeting April 15.
According to district documents, the district will no longer seek exemptions from:
- Teacher appraisal system
- Group health benefits for school employees
- Student discipline, designation of campus behavior coordinator
By removing these exemptions, the district will align with statewide requirements rather than a localized system. The changes reflect updates in law, district practice and areas where exemptions are no longer necessary, according to district documents.
Also of note
The district will continue operating with local flexibility in the following areas:
- District‑level planning and decision‑making: maintains local control over the structure and decisions of district and campus committees
- First day of instruction: allows for the district to design a school calendar that begins prior to the fourth Monday in August
- Student/teacher ratios and class size: follows local procedures if classes exceed a student to teacher ratio of 22-1 without requiring state waivers
- Teacher certification: permits local teacher certification in noncore courses, with board oversight and required reporting
- Minimum attendance for class credit or final grade: allows the district to award credit based on mastery of content rather than required seat time
In addition, the district will seek exemptions for course syllabi posting requirements to allow use of district learning management systems and a universal GPA weighting system to reduce course selection pressure.
The district is also seeking flexibility in probationary contracts for all new Chapter 21 employees, including teachers and other certified professional school staff employed under state education contracts, according to district documents.
What’s next
Following approval, the updated DOI plan takes effect immediately and will be submitted to the TEA, according to district documents.
