Lago Vista ISD
News and information for the LVISD community
July 3, 2020
Superintendent Update - June 30, 2020
Dear Viking Family,
Although the official start of school is still six weeks away, I know that learning more about how school will operate for the 2020-2021 school year is at the top of your mind. Like many of you, I have been monitoring the recent shifts in the pandemic and I share your desire to learn more about how it will affect the upcoming school year.
As you may know, the state recently announced that Texas public schools will reopen this fall. We continue to await guidance from Governor Abbott’s office and the Texas Education Agency as to what that reopening will look like. Our specific plans for reopening will clearly be required to adhere to the state’s requirements. While there remains much to be decided, there are several things I can share as we plan for next year.
- School will start on August 13th, as planned. There continue to be no plans to adjust the 2020-2021 school calendar.
- Lago Vista ISD will offer families two options for the upcoming school year: face-to-face classroom learning or fully remote at-home learning. The face-to-face option will include reduced class sizes, appropriate health protocols, and minimized transitions. It is our goal for the face-to-face option to follow as traditional a schedule as possible. The remote option will include teacher-led instruction, regular "live" teacher-student engagement opportunities, and required daily check-ins/progress for attendance purposes. Instruction for both options will address the same Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
- All stakeholders should expect the possibility of additional COVID-19-related disruptions and closures in the 2020-2021 school year. The emergence of positive cases of COVID-19 within our community and our schools should be anticipated and will necessitate the exclusion of students, classes, and possibly entire campuses from face-to-face instruction. If and when this happens, remote learning will be instituted, as appropriate. To ensure a more seamless shift to remote learning, if needed, Lago Vista ISD is taking proactive steps, such as assigning District-owned devices to all students and implementing a blended instructional model for face-to-face learning.
- Bus transportation will be extremely limited to ensure the safety of our students and bus drivers. In order to uphold physical distancing protocols, a conventional 72-passenger bus will be limited to 12 available seats (with a potential of up to 24 passengers if family groups are seated together). This drastic reduction in the number of students that can be transported on a bus at one time will require a substantial reduction in overall ridership. Lago Vista ISD is asking all parents/guardians to arrange alternate transportation for their children to and from school, if possible. For those students who must participate in bus transportation, a health screening will be conducted before boarding and masks will be required (with exceptions for certain medical conditions). Buses will be loaded back-to-front by stop and seats will be assigned. Family groups will be permitted to sit together. Students will be required to remain in their designated seats at all times.
- School start and end times may be adjusted. Lago Vista ISD will continue to run a single morning bus route. We are investigating an option to also run a single afternoon bus route in order to slightly extend the length of our elementary/intermediate school instructional day. This adjustment would allow for additional instructional minutes in the school calendar and up to 10 additional days for COVID-19-related closure without having to make up the days. This adjustment would also shorten the length of our middle school/high school instructional day.
- In-person operations will look different. Lago Vista ISD’s goal will be for our day to look and feel as normal as possible, but there will be noticeable changes. A health screening will be required each school day for all staff and students reporting in-person. School schedules and building traffic patterns will be revised to ensure safe distancing practices. Where feasible, students will be kept in cohorts and transitions will be minimized. Only essential visitors will be allowed to enter school buildings and will be required to participate in a health screening and to wear a mask.
- We need input from 100% of our parents to finalize the very best plans for the fall. Last month, parents of over 775 students participated in a survey that provided us with incredibly useful information. Since then, however, there have been drastic changes in the pandemic’s course that may have an impact on these initial responses. Today, I am asking every parent to complete a brief 10 question survey for each child to provide us with updated information about your level of comfort with returning this fall and your preferences related to the instructional options. The more participation we have, the better we will be able to plan. To complete this survey, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5TVHLTM.
- Parents will select instructional options in mid-July. Once we receive the much-anticipated guidance from the state, Lago Vista ISD will provide our families with significantly more detailed plans about our face-to-face and remote learning options. At that time, we will also ask our families to officially commit to one of the two instructional options. Parents who select the in-person instructional option will also be asked to opt-in for transportation.
I know that our families have varying levels of comfort about sending their children back to school this fall. No matter which instructional option works best for your family, please know that our educators are excited to work with your children and support them in their learning journey next year.
Please also know how much we appreciate your patience, flexibility, and resilience, as this situation has evolved since early March. We are incredibly proud of how our community has come together and is working to keep our students learning and the school district running during this uncertain time. We look forward to making the 2020-2021 school year a continuation of the excellence you have come to expect.
I wish you and your family good health.
Darren Webb
Superintendent
Lago Vista ISD
What a great memory!
Thank you to Fran for capturing this special moment for eternity!
Click below to watch the 1st annual (we hope) City of Lago Vista Graduate Parade
ARCHIVE: Viking News
Lago Vista Independent School District
Email: holly_jackson@lagovista.txed.net
Website: lagovistaisd.net
Location: 8039 Bar K Ranch Road, Lago Vista, TX, USA
Phone: 51226783009
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LagoVistaISD/
Twitter: @LagoVistaISD