July 14, 2020 – San Antonio ISD today announced a plan to start school safely by delaying its start date one week to Monday, Aug. 17, and to provide 100 percent remote learning for the first three weeks. The Texas Education Agency allows school districts flexibility during the first three weeks of school.
The District plans to present this proposal to its Trustees during the regularly scheduled July 20 Board meeting. The approved 2020-2021 instructional calendar currently lists Aug. 10 as the first day of school, and includes three intercessional week-long breaks. The proposal will require a new calendar to be approved by the Board to accommodate the later start date and the removal of one of the intercessional breaks. The last day of school remains June 18, 2021.
“We believe this is a better way to start school. It allows us to ensure our safety protocols are fully in place, and that staff members are trained,” said SAISD Superintendent Pedro Martinez. “Our plan is to initially engage with students academically, socially and emotionally through live synchronous remote learning during the first three weeks. This has been a challenging time for all of us, and we know there is much we can do to help our students and staff cope with the stress of a global pandemic.”
During the three-week remote instruction, campuses will be open for meal and technology distribution and registration assistance, following social distancing and safety protocols.
“It’s important for parents to know that we will ensure high-quality academics in both our in-person and remote-learning models,” Martinez said. “We also will continue to advocate for closing the digital divide and to provide resources to our most vulnerable students to ensure they are learning in the academic model and given the support that best meets their needs.”
After Labor Day, parents can have their child continue in fully-remote learning or transition to fully on-campus learning for the following six weeks of the grading period. Parents will be able to change the academic model for their children after each nine-week grading period.