Friendswood ISD is near the final stages of preparing for the 2020-2021 school year.
The district will offer both face-to-face and virtual instruction but has ruled out the hybrid method due to evidence that shows the method does not effectively reduce transmission.
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FISD has created solutions to a number of issues including sanitation, PPE, transportation, and more.
Here’s what to know for so far the upcoming school year:
Calendar
The first day of school is scheduled for August 19, 2020.
The new calendar was board approved on June 22 and includes five additional minutes of instruction per day.
Click here to view the 2020-2021 school calendar.
Measures underway or being considered
Sanitation
- Regular hand washing and sanitizing procedures
- Procedures for sanitizing shared resources and materials
- Extra Hand washing stations
- Child-friendly cleaning solutions for students to use to wipe down their own areas
- Daily deep sanitation of campuses and buses
PPE
- Recommended, not required developmentally-appropriate wearing of masks in high traffic times and areas such as arrivals/dismissals and passing periods
Social distancing
- Staggering arrival and dismissal times for students
- During arrival, reporting directly to classrooms or areas where spacing can be achieved upon arrival.
- One way traffic in hallways
- Keeping class groups of students together at elementary and intermediate levels while still allowing for recess and P.E. outside of the classroom in the gym and open areas.
- Minimization of large groups in areas, such as cafeterias, hallways during passing periods, arrivals, and dismissals
- FISD will space student desks and working areas out as much as possible as age-appropriate.
- Elimination of locker usage at secondary schools to avoid congregating
- Safety partitions such as clear plexiglass in public areas - receptionist, attendance offices, and areas of a high adult to adult contact.
- Limit visitors to all campuses indefinitely.
Health
- Student health screening by parents for students as well as requirements to keep symptomatic students home.
- Isolation areas for students that are ill or symptomatic
- Daily self-screening by faculty before coming onto campus
- Individual work accommodations for at-risk employees
- Staff training around coronavirus preventative measures
Meal service
- Lunch procedures to eliminate contamination to include partitions, no student self serve, disposable lunch trays, individual condiment packets, stricter and more frequent cleaning of tables and serving areas, PPE for servers.
Transportation
- Staff will wear face coverings at all times
- Staff will self-report daily for symptoms
- Staff will sanitize the bus between elementary and secondary runs.
- Staff will mist the entire bus after am/pm routes
- Staff will wear gloves while cleaning
- Automatic self-dispensing hand sanitizers mounted at the entrance of each bus
- Open windows on the bus for ventilation weather permitting
- Students will be assigned seats in order for the district to identify close and personal contact should there be a need for tracing
Instruction methods offered
Friendswood ISD intends to offer face-to-face as well as virtual instruction for the upcoming school year. The district has ruled the hybrid model due to evidence that shows the method does not effectively reduce transmission/cross-contamination as the teacher would be working with both groups of students.
Face-to-face
The district is planning to welcome students back to its campuses with social distancing and safety measures emplace.
Virtual
The district believes good candidates for virtual instruction include students who have health risks or whose exposure could pose a risk to others in their family.
Parents to new FISD students can register their child for virtual instruction beginning July 22.
For returning students, virtual registration opens on August 7.
Click here to complete the form if you intend for your student to participate in virtual learning for the upcoming school year.
Survey
FISD provided a survey regarding virtual learning for parents to complete by May 29, 2020
Recent updates
In the latest update, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Lauren Ambeaug and Executive Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning Kim Cole outline FISD’s Virtual Learning Option as well as health and safety protocols being considered for students who will return to campus for in-class instruction.
Do you have questions about Friendswood ISD’s plan?
Fill out the form below and we’ll work to find the answer to your question.
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