Angleton ISD has made changes to its reopening schedule to allow for students and staff to make gradual transitions back to campuses. The changes will allow students and staff to properly train on on-campus safety protocols as well as give the district a chance to monitor the COVID-19 situation.
“We want to make sure that we open our district up in the safest manner possible and that we are properly prepared to provide our students with the learning experiences they deserve,” AISD Superintendent Phil Edwards said. “We will continue to make decisions in the best interest of our students’ and staff’s safety, and we believe that the new reopening schedule allows us to properly prepare for when we do open our doors to those students who choose to learn on campus.”
School will still begin on August 17 as planned; however, under the new Return-to-School Plan, all students will start the first week learning under the Online Learning model where teachers will provide direct instruction from their classrooms. This change to the reopening schedule will allow the district to introduce the Online Learning model properly so that students and staff have the adequate time needed to prepare and learn the new online plan and the expectations for online learning.
“Regardless of whether students choose the on-campus or online learning model, they all need to have an understanding of what the Online Learning model is because they may have to participate in some level of learning online this year,” Edwards said. “The COVID-19 crisis can change quickly at any time, and I want our students and staff to be prepared for all situations.”
Dr. Adam Stephens, AISD Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, said that quality instruction will continue throughout the school year.
“The new online plan is designed to ensure our students are receiving quality learning experiences,” Stephens said. “In this COVID-19 world, our students and staff have to be prepared for anything. They have to feel comfortable learning online, and our parents need to feel confident that their children are learning and being properly prepared for their futures, regardless of the instructional model.”
Starting the second week of school on August 24, the district will begin opening its doors to some students who choose On-Campus Learning. Most students will continue to learn online, but students in Pre-K, Kindergarten, 6th grade and 9th grade who choose to participate in On-Campus Learning will begin attending school on campus on an assigned A/B schedule. Each campus will designate its own A/B groupings. Family members may not attend on the same day. (Go to www.angletonisd.net/ReturnPlan for more on A/B Schedule.)
“There is a strategy with our staggered reopening plan,” Edwards said. “We are starting On-Campus Learning with students in Pre-K, Kindergarten, 6th grade and 9th grade because these are transition years. Students in those grade levels are new to their campuses and have to learn an entirely new campus structure.”
On August 31, some students will continue instruction online, and the district will open up On-Campus Learning to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th and 10th grades in addition to the previously designated students. They will attend their campuses on their assigned A/B schedule days.
Then on September 8, all On-Campus Learning students will begin attending school on their campuses following the A/B schedule. The following week on September 14, On-Campus Learning students at all elementary schools and Angleton Junior High School will begin attending Monday through Friday during regular school hours. Angleton High School will continue on the A/B schedule until further notice.
“The main advantages of reopening schools on a staggered schedule is that it allows us to implement change in small group transitions while also letting us continue to monitor the COVID-19 data and to prepare for our schools to open as safely as possible,” Edwards said.
All students who choose to participate in On-Campus Learning will be expected to follow the district’s safety protocols. AISD strongly encourages all students, regardless of age, to wear a mask if possible. Students who are 10 and up and without special circumstances must wear face masks. Failure to comply with the district’s mask requirements may cause a student to be removed from On-Campus Learning.
Parents/Guardians who want their children to participate in Online Learning for the 2020-2021 school year must complete the Online Learning Registration Form at www.angletonisd.net/OnlineRegistration by August 5.
The Online Learning Plan is a structured instructional model. Edwards said the model will look very different than the online learning that occurred in the Spring.
“When COVID hit us in the Spring, we were in crisis mode,” he said. “We now have had time to prepare for the upcoming school year, and our students will be receiving robust instruction and learning experiences whether they are on campus or learning from home.”
The Online Learning Plan will require students to have access to an internet connection. If students do not have access to a reliable internet connection, parents/guardians need to contact their children’s principal.
Additionally, all AISD students will be issued a device. Students in Kindergarten through 12th grade will be issued Chromebooks, and Pre-Kindergarten students will be issued iPads. These devices will be for students in both Online Learning and On-Campus Learning.
“We are committed to making sure that all our students are learning and have access to the tools they need to be successful,” Edwards said.
Please visit www.angletonisd.net/ReturnPlan for more details about the AISD Return-to-School Plan.
Phil Edwards
