State Allows Parents Option for Child to Repeat a Course or Grade

The State Legislature has passed a bill (SB 1697) that allows parents/guardians to choose if they would like their child to repeat a grade or retake a high school course. The decision was made given the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the 2020-2021 school year.

For students who are in Pre-K through 3rd grade, the legislation gives parents/guardians the right to opt for one of the following choices regarding their child:

1. repeat Pre-K;
2. enroll in Pre-K if the child was eligible to enroll in Pre-K in the previous school year, under TEC, §29.153(b), and has not yet enrolled in kindergarten;
3. repeat kindergarten;
4. enroll in kindergarten if the child would have enrolled in kindergarten in the previous school year and has not yet enrolled in first grade*; and
5. for grades one through three, repeat the grade the student was enrolled in the previous school year.

For the 2021-2022 school year only, parents/guardians of students in 4th grade or higher will also have the right to opt for one of the following choices regarding their child:

1. for grades four through eight, repeat the grade the student was enrolled in during the 2020-2021 school year; and
2. for courses taken for high school credit, repeat any course in which the student was enrolled during the 2020-2021 school year.

Again, for students in grades 4 and above, this option exists only for the 2021-22 school year. Also, there are many factors that parents/guardians should consider when deciding if retaining their child is the best option.

Parents/Guardians of children in junior high and high school should consider how retaining their child could affect the child’s eligibility for extracurricular and UIL activities. The UIL will treat all students retained by parents/guardians the same as a retention by the school. This means students who would repeat 7th or 8th grade would be considered ineligible for the first 6 weeks of the school year. Students repeating 9th-11th grade would still be subject to the age rule and four-year rule, and they must meet the minimum requirement for credits for their grade in order to meet UIL eligibility requirements.

Angleton ISD parents/guardians who are interested in choosing one of the retention options above regarding their child should contact the AISD Curriculum Department at 979-864-8036 as soon as possible. School personnel will set up a meeting to evaluate the student’s academic plan and begin the process.

The final decision as to whether a student needs to repeat a course or grade in the upcoming school year is now a parent’s/guardian’s to make, though schools can provide input to further inform that decision.

Parents/Guardians can contact the AISD Curriculum Department at 979-864-8036 if they have questions, and more information related to these options is available on the following TEA webpages:

• https://tea.texas.gov/repeatgrade
• https://tea.texas.gov/restartkinder
• www.tea.texas.gov/parents

At the May board meeting, the Angleton ISD Board of Trustees approved new protocols and action for the district regarding COVID-19.

The following is effective immediately:

• For all AISD outdoor events, masks and face coverings are optional.
• The district will end all COVID-19 screening requirements.
• All fully vaccinated individuals shall not be required to quarantine.
• The district will continue frequent cleaning, hand washing and social distancing practices.
• The district will continue to offer COVID-19 testing.

Starting June 1, all masks and face coverings will become optional inside all AISD facilities.

In accordance with the most recent guidance from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released yesterday, Angleton ISD will continue to follow the district’s current COVID-19 protocols, which include that masks be worn in all AISD facilities.

“We will continue to monitor COVID-19 data as well as guidance from TEA and other state and local health agencies to review our procedures and make necessary changes as recommended,” AISD Superintendent Phil Edwards said.

Edwards believes having access to the COVID-19 vaccine is extremely important in getting schools back to normalcy and was pleased with yesterday’s announcement from the Texas Department of State Health Services that all educators and school support staff be included in the vaccine administration.

“We are working with our local health care vaccine providers to help get our employees who want the vaccine access to it as soon as possible,” he said.

The AISD COVID-19 Health Guidance, including district protocols, can be found at www.angletonisd.net/OnwardAISD. Parents should contact their child’s campus administration with questions.

Students who have been quarantined by a school official due to close contact with a positive COVID-19 individual at school can now take a rapid test given by the school district as early as day five of their quarantine period. If they receive a negative test on day five, they can return on day seven of their quarantine period. That means that any student who has been on quarantine since Monday, February 1 will be eligible for a rapid test on Friday, February 5.

If students are eligible, parents should contact the school principal for information on how to schedule a rapid test with the district. Also, students will now be able to take the rapid test regardless of whether or not the student has symptoms; however, if a student is symptomatic, AISD will follow the same protocols as it has been following.

If students do not take a test, they will still need to quarantine for the full 10 days. If they do test positive within their quarantine period, they will have to follow the protocols for testing positive.

As for employees, the district will continue with the current protocols at this point. Employees will still be pushed to test at UTMB. Employees need to contact their supervisor and Human Resources if they need a test and to let them know they may have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Parents need to contact their child’s campus if they have questions.

The school district has determined that students will not come to school on Monday, March 15 after Spring Break to allow for a staff planning day.

Due to the trend of COVID-19 positive cases increasing after school breaks, school district administration has determined that adding the staff planning day will allow schools to prepare for a safer return of students to campuses after Spring Break. This planning day will also allow AISD staff to navigate the changing of students’ schedules more successfully, preparing for students who may move from Online Learning to On-Campus Learning or from On-Campus Learning to Online Learning. In addition, the planning day will allow teachers additional time to close out the grading period.