Fort Bend ISD releases eligibility criteria for 2021-22 virtual school; application opens

An estimated 6,000-11,000 Fort Bend ISD students will be eligible to attend the district's Virtual Learning Program for the 2021-22 school year, according to an April 30 press release.

The district plans to offer full-time virtual instruction to students in pre-K through 12th grade who are at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the release, students with the following medical conditions will qualify:

• asthma;
• chronic lung disease;
• compromised immune systems from smoking, cancer treatment, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, or the use of corticosteroids or other immune weakening medication;
• diabetes;
• serious heart disease, including heart failure, coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathies and hypertension;
• chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis;
• liver disease; and
• severe obesity.

From May 3-14, families can express their intent to attending the Virtual Learning Program through the FBISD's website. A separate application must be completed for each student in a household who meets the eligibility criteria.

Acceptance into the program will be based on medical need, capacity and the availability of instructional staff, the release says.

To be eligible, a student's health care provider must fill out and sign the Texas Education Agency Medical Certification for COVID-19 High Risk Exemption form by June 3. Students will be notified of their acceptance into the program by June 17, according to the district.

The Virtual Learning Program, which was outlined during the March 29 board of trustees meeting, is dependent on the Texas Legislature approving funding for such programs.