An announcement from the Governor's office regarding the procedures to reopen schools for the 2020-21 school year is expected to come later this summer accompanied by instructions and guidelines from the Texas Education Agency. This guidance, along with information from the county and health organizations, will be carefully monitored as plans unfold for August.
A committee has been formed to explore how HPISD may open schools safely. Members include HPISD Trustees Lee Michaels and Tom Sharpe, Superintendent Dr. Tom Trigg, Dallas County Health and Human Services Chief Epidemiologist (and HPISD parent) Dr. Wendy Chung, all school principals, and other district administrators. The committee's charge is to recommend the optimum strategy for re-opening HPISD schools in the fall of 2020.
During its first meeting, the committee agreed to the following commitments:
1) The health and safety of our students, staff, families and our community is our top priority. Every decision made will take into consideration the latest guidance and direction from local, state and federal authorities.
2) We are committed to providing the highest quality education to all students regardless of the circumstances.
3) We are committed to supporting the well-being of every student, every day.
The committee's preference in delivering instruction is as follows:
1) Face-to-face instruction in our state-of-the-art facilities.
2) A hybrid model that allows for as much face-to-face instruction as possible. In particular, we are committed to working through obstacles to have our youngest children and students most in need of direct services in district classrooms.
3) Providing high-quality instruction remotely with students and staff who have received training in best practices for virtual learning.
In the interim, HPISD is taking a multifaceted approach to prepare for the 2020-21 school year. Due to the fluid nature of this situation, it is necessary to prepare and plan for all scenarios. With the committee preparing for face-to-face, virtual, and hybrid approaches, HPISD will be ready to serve students in August regardless of the situation. Updates on the committee's work will be provided weekly and a web page on the district's site has been established with FAQs.
In addition to the committee's work, seven instructional subcommittees, representing more than 100 staff volunteers, are examining key questions about virtual platforms, schedules and expectations, instructional best practices, performance-based courses, special programs, professional learning, and student well-being.
Each subcommittee has been tasked to research and make recommendations to the Superintendent in a detailed report this month. The subcommittees are taking into consideration feedback from the Parent Survey, Student Survey (offered to students in grades 5-12) and Staff Survey administered in May.