Dear SAISD Staff:
 
Last night, the San Antonio ISD Board of Trustees approved a revised instructional calendar for the upcoming school year, which includes 15 additional days as a contingency for COVID-19 outbreaks. The modifications in the newly approved calendar include a week of intersession immediately before or after the originally scheduled Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring Breaks.
 
An intersessional calendar provides additional days that can be used for students to make up for missed days due to a COVID outbreak, and could also be used for those students needing additional support for remediation.  
 
The calendar includes the same number of regular school instruction days, with the first day of school remaining Aug. 10 and the last day of school for students being June 18.  
 
It’s important to note that the District would not be closed during these intercessions. The additional breaks are for students, those teachers who will not be providing instruction during intercession, and other employees who would not normally be working through June.
 
During intersession breaks, educators who volunteer for the assignment would be paid to provide instruction and remediation for identified students to prevent regression as a result of COVID-19 school closures.
 
The added days of intercession will occur during the following weeks:
 
• Nov. 16-20
• Jan. 4-8
• March 15-19

I want to share that we are talking with our partners about the possibility of offering low-cost after-school child care for our employees with children in SAISD schools to accommodate our adjusted schedules – and possibly for the July Jump Start summer program as well. There may also be an offering for all parents of SAISD students. More details to come as this hopefully develops.
 
In July, we will be working to finalize the details of what school and instruction will look like. 
 
Based on input so far from staff and parents, we have developed instructional models that include face-to-face, hybrid (a combination of face-to-face and online instruction), and fully online instruction to accommodate various stages of school closure. We want to provide options to our families to meet their needs.
 
Safety is a critical component of each plan, with protocols being developed within a framework of hygiene, physical distancing and other public health considerations. We will follow the guidance of the METRO Health department and CDC, including the use of masks and other measures. 
 
We are looking forward to safely welcoming back our students.
 
I appreciate all of the work everyone is doing to prepare for a new school year. I know there are many challenges, requiring lots of flexibility, but I know that together we can make this happen.
 
Sincerely,
Pedro