Plano ISD approves hybrid instructional model for high school, senior high students

Trustees in Plano ISD approved a waiver Aug. 18 that allows the district to implement a hybrid learning model for its upperclassmen this fall.

High school and senior high students in Plano ISD whose families have opted for in-person learning will also take some virtual classes when they return to campus on Sept. 9.

Under this model, students at high school and senior high campuses would attend in-person school either Tuesday and Thursday or Wednesday and Friday. On days when students are not on campus, they would participate in remote classes.

The district had initially ruled out the hybrid option in June, but reintroduced the plan at an Aug. 4 board meeting.

The decision to reintroduce the hybrid model was driven by Plano ISD’s complex scheduling system—where each student works with a number of teachers each day, not just one—as well as its ability to safely enforce social distancing guidelines, Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services Katrina Hasley said at the Aug. 4 meeting.

“It’s a health concern,” Hasley told trustees at the Aug. 4 meeting.