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KISD Releases "Smart Restart"

7,045 Views | 54 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by SoupNazi2001
gougler08
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tylercsbn9 said:

Mikeyshooter said:

She has no authority over schools.


Dallas, Austin, and SA have shut down the in person option until after Labor Day.


TEA extending to 4 weeks of online only and then an additional 4 weeks with approval basically means October will be a given in the democrat counties
Gap
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Such a huge failure by these county leaders for our children - and especially minority children whose ability to compete in a competitive world is forever lessened by these 6-7 months off.

If this is truly necessary adjust your school calendar this year and add a month on at the end for the benefit of the children or are we really just playing games with their future. Truly sad.
cajunaggie08
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The Katy ISD Superintendent sent a non-update update to parents this evening acknowledging that TEA formally gave them permission to go virtual-only for 4 weeks and that the Harris County Judge gave all districts in the county a strong letter of guidance. At this time there are no changes to Katy ISD's reopening plans

July 20, 2020

Dear Katy ISD Parents/Guardians and Staff,

Last week, I shared with parents and staff that further guidance was expected from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and our local health officials. On Friday June 17, TEA released new school and COVID related information indicating that superintendents now have the authority to suspend in-person instruction for up to the first four weeks of the school calendar, as well as the option to further extend that period for an additional four weeks with school board action.

This afternoon, superintendents of schools in Harris County also received a letter from Judge Hidalgo. This letter contained important information, including recommendations for school districts to consider.

I understand that our Katy ISD community is anxious to know the plans for the reopening of our schools. Your continued patience and understanding is greatly appreciated, as we have just received the aforementioned guidance. Should any change in our reopening plans be decided, I will update our community as quickly as possible.

Until then, our District continues to follow the current academic calendar, with school scheduled to resume on August 19. Parents continue to have the choice of electing one of two instructional options for their children in-person learning or virtual learning through Katy Virtual Academy (KVA). Should there be a future need for a temporary delay of in-person instruction, teaching and learning would be delivered primarily through virtual learning. However, as of today, both instructional options remain available to our families.

Parents electing the in-person instructional option for their children do not need to complete a commitment form. Parents electing the KVA instructional option are required to fill out the KVA commitment form. The KVA commitment form can be accessed through PowerSchool until August 5. Information explaining the two instructional choices is provided to parents on the Smart Restart web page here.

Again, thank you for your patience as we continue to work through these matters with the guidance of our families, staff, the state and local authorities.

Dr. Ken Gregorski
Superintendent
tylercsbn9
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cajunaggie08 said:

The Katy ISD Superintendent sent a non-update update to parents this evening acknowledging that TEA formally gave them permission to go virtual-only for 4 weeks and that the Harris County Judge gave all districts in the county a strong letter of guidance. At this time there are no changes to Katy ISD's reopening plans

July 20, 2020

Dear Katy ISD Parents/Guardians and Staff,

Last week, I shared with parents and staff that further guidance was expected from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and our local health officials. On Friday June 17, TEA released new school and COVID related information indicating that superintendents now have the authority to suspend in-person instruction for up to the first four weeks of the school calendar, as well as the option to further extend that period for an additional four weeks with school board action.

This afternoon, superintendents of schools in Harris County also received a letter from Judge Hidalgo. This letter contained important information, including recommendations for school districts to consider.

I understand that our Katy ISD community is anxious to know the plans for the reopening of our schools. Your continued patience and understanding is greatly appreciated, as we have just received the aforementioned guidance. Should any change in our reopening plans be decided, I will update our community as quickly as possible.

Until then, our District continues to follow the current academic calendar, with school scheduled to resume on August 19. Parents continue to have the choice of electing one of two instructional options for their children in-person learning or virtual learning through Katy Virtual Academy (KVA). Should there be a future need for a temporary delay of in-person instruction, teaching and learning would be delivered primarily through virtual learning. However, as of today, both instructional options remain available to our families.

Parents electing the in-person instructional option for their children do not need to complete a commitment form. Parents electing the KVA instructional option are required to fill out the KVA commitment form. The KVA commitment form can be accessed through PowerSchool until August 5. Information explaining the two instructional choices is provided to parents on the Smart Restart web page here.

Again, thank you for your patience as we continue to work through these matters with the guidance of our families, staff, the state and local authorities.

Dr. Ken Gregorski
Superintendent


At least that sounds a bit positive for Katy. Both options still talked about in the update.

Whether Dora ****s that over or not TBD
Gap
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Long live the leadership that Katy ISD is currently showing!
tylercsbn9
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Gap said:

Long live the leadership that Katy ISD is currently showing!
Praying Cy Fair does the same. Always have liked Dr Henry.
Mikeyshooter
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SBISD - have heard that while nothing was voted on last night, several board members are in favor of moving back the start of the school year until after Labor Day.

For those that have already elected, a little under 60% have committed to in-person learning. There are going to be a lot of pissed off parents if they change course.
JYDog90
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Gap said:

Long live the leadership that Katy ISD is currently showing!


Indeed. It's like "we got a letter today from Judge Hidalgo...anyway, as I was saying, we'll be here on the 19th."
cajunaggie08
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Katy will delay in-person learning for 3 weeks. Everyone will be virtual to start the school year.

Dear Parents/Guardians and Staff,

In Monday's update to you, I had referenced the evolving nature of the COVID-19 situation and how it could potentially impact our school reopening plans. Our number one priority will always be to protect the health and well-being of our students and staff as we prepare to bring children back to schools for in-person instruction. This week I have had a number of conversations with local governmental and public health officials all of whom have shared that they are concerned about the metrics related to this pandemic.

It is very clear that the intention of giving a superintendent the authority to temporarily delay in-person instruction is to ensure we are carefully evaluating local health conditions in our community. These health conditions that are important to the decision to resume in-person instruction include the number of active COVID-19 cases, the positivity rate percentages, and hospitalizations. Using this information, I have decided to delay the return to in-person instruction by three weeks. The first day of school will still be August 19, however, all students will begin with virtual instruction on that day.

It is my intention to continue to honor the requests and needs of the families who desire to return their students for in-person instruction. On September 8, the goal is to resume plans to reopen campuses for both in-person instruction and virtual instruction. Still, I think we keep in mind that any plans are subject to change given the course of this pandemic.

In preparation for the first day of instruction on August 19, families who wish to elect Katy Virtual Academy for their students during the first grading cycle, must submit a KVA commitment form by August 5. Even though all Katy ISD students will participate in online learning for the first few weeks, it's important to inform us of your preferred instructional option. This will ensure your student has the same teacher on August 19 as when in-person instruction resumes on September 8, regardless of the instructional option elected.

I truly appreciate your support and understanding as we navigate the impacts of this global crisis, while also balancing the learning needs of the students we serve.

Although no action regarding the reopening of schools will be taken at the Board meeting this Monday, I will be providing an update to our Board and community. We will also continue to update our Smart Restart web page as new information becomes available.

Dr. Ken Gregorski
Superintendent
Panama Red
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Gap said:

Long live the leadership that Katy ISD is currently showing!


ttha_aggie_09
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Funny how they release this but the teachers have zero idea what they're supposed to be doing. No communication with the teachers and we're left to wonder if some teachers will be be required to be onsite for virtual teaching or not.

They should've never delayed the start...

(Not a teacher, wife is)
cajunaggie08
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My wife used to be a Katy ISD teacher and her mom still is one. Her mom has been hitting us up for information as you are spot on that the district has been treating them like afterthoughts
ttha_aggie_09
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They have kept teachers in the dark through all of this. Really, really frustrating. It's a great school district but I think they gave in (delayed) when they weren't planning to do so.
Smokedraw01
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ttha_aggie_09 said:

Funny how they release this but the teachers have zero idea what they're supposed to be doing. No communication with the teachers and we're left to wonder if some teachers will be be required to be onsite for virtual teaching or not.

They should've never delayed the start...

(Not a teacher, wife is)


As a teacher in KISD, we'll be fine and we'll figure this out. Too many people can't handle uncertainty well.
ttha_aggie_09
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Oh we'll figure it out but a little transparency would have been nice. Having two elementary school kids, a wife teaching and myself working from home, a little heads up would have been nice.
Cinco Ranch Aggie
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I just love how Katy ISD went from in-person / online as options via Update #2 to all kids are online until (at least, because I figure that's just a starting point) September 8 in Update #3.
Smokedraw01
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Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

I just love how Katy ISD went from in-person / online as options via Update #2 to all kids are online until (at least, because I figure that's just a starting point) September 8 in Update #3.


I wonder if they got a heads up on Hidalgo's order.
ttha_aggie_09
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Can confirm, they did not
JYDog90
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I've largely kept my mouth shut on all of this opening/delaying/virtual/in person stuff but yesterday's press conf got me worked up.

Dora said that she didn't want to get anyone's hopes up about Sept 7 either:

Quote:

"I am not going to raise false hopes," Hidalgo said during a Friday news conference announcing the order. "Even if we do meet benchmarks that tell us it's safe to resume in-person instruction, it's not going to be all students back all at once. We have to work with the reality of the situation."


And then Sly offers his take on the whole situation:

Quote:

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said during the conference that the COVID test positivity rate is too high and must get below 10 percent before sending students back to school.


Who gets tested for COVID? People with symptoms! I'm not going to wait in my car for hours on end or pay $100-250 for a freaking test unless I've got a compelling reason to be tested. And Sly is saying that 9 out of 10 people being tested negative is too high?

This is beyond the pale now. I can't understand why the school districts are allowing Dora to do this and aren't going to TEA or Abbott asking him to intervene and put her in her place.
Panama Red
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Quote:

Who gets tested for COVID? People with symptoms!


Thousands of people without symptoms are also getting tested. They come into contact with some one that has it, so they go get tested.

And that 10% number is from WHO & CDC. (Doesn't make any sense to me, but it is what it is)
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