Multiple North Texas School Districts Close Schools Indefinitely During Coronavirus Outbreak
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas ISD was the first area district to announce Monday Monday in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus, schools are closed indefinitely.
This action follows advice from Dallas County Health and Human Services.
A statement by the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees said, "We understand that this news will have widespread impacts, including hardships, on our students, their families, our employees and the broader community. Dallas ISD weighed those impacts along with many others. The gravity of this moment is not lost on our Board of Trustees or the Dallas ISD administration. We fully support the Superintendent's decision and believe that this is the right course of action."
The school district said work on behalf of students will continue while classrooms are empty.
"We have activated at-home learning, our teachers are prepared to begin distance instruction, and Dallas ISD Food and Child Nutrition Services (FCNS) will distribute meals at select campus locations. These sites will become central locations for family and student resource distribution in the coming weeks," Dallas ISD said,
Parents can expect phone messages with updates and can click here for more information.
Richardson ISD, DeSoto ISD, Grand Prairie ISD, Highland Park ISD and Cedar Hill ISD also announced their schools are closing indefinitely to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
"The safety of our scholars and staff are of the utmost importance during this challenging time," Cedar Hill ISD Superintendent Dr. Gerald Hudson said. "We will continue to work closely with federal, state and local officials as we continue to assess and reassess the situation."
More North Texas school districts may follow suit.
Lots Of Ways To Keep Kids Learning While Schools Shut Down Due To Coronavirus
A look at websites from various school districts before 6:00 p.m. Monday showed the Mesquite ISD, Frisco ISD, Plano ISD, Denton ISD, and McKinney ISD all closed through March 20.
The Carroll ISD is closed through March 27, while the Fort Worth ISD and Arlington ISD are closed until March 30th, and the Garland ISD is closed until April 3.
Here is more on area school districts:
FRISCO ISD:
The district plans to begin virtual instruction with students on Tuesday, March 17. This includes all grade levels. Students will access a variety of online resources to complete assignments. They will use the same platforms students and teachers are already accustomed to using in the classroom, which can vary by grade level. Assignments can be completed at any time during the week. Teachers will be available to provide support during virtual office hours.
KELLER ISD:
Current online classes will continue as normal. Online teachers began communicating with parents and students Monday about the continuation of online classes.
Online/digital content for PreK-12 will begin Monday, March 23.
The KISD Curriculum & Instruction team is in the process of preparing and determining what that will look like.
DALLAS ISD:
Spring break began Monday. The district says it shared its At-Home Learning plan with families last week. There is a dedicated website for families to access for all grade levels.
For all secondary students (middle and high school), the district will use the Power School LMS or
Google Classroom.
Elementary students were sent home "resource bags" in their backpacks filled with work to complete. There are also other recommendations of work for elementary student.
www.DallasISD.org/COVID19 will have all of the communications sent.
GARLAND ISD:
The online learning began Monday for students in Prekindergarten through 12th grade.
The link is available on its website at https://www.garlandisd.net/content/resources-coronavirus-covid-19. Scroll down to Learning Resources and click on At-Home Learning. The district says it's just getting started with this and will expand it. Beginning next week, teachers will be reaching out to the students in their classes for specific coursework guidelines, expectations and learning activities.
MESQUITE ISD:
Teachers will prepare assignments for their students to cover the
entire week, March 16 - 20. These
assignments for students will be available for pickup or online for students starting Wednesday, March 18th.
Mesquite ISD will be providing Distance Learning opportunities while school is not in session. As a teacher, you will be expected to communicate with your students through the regular channels you use, such as Skyward, Google Classroom, Class Dojo, SeeSaw, etc. to provide lessons for students to continue their learning. Focus on what is most important for students to learn. In your communications, be sure to instruct families on how to access the lessons for their students to complete at home as well as how to submit student work. Some teachers will use online tools such as videos and Google Classroom while others will create packets that can be printed at home or picked up at school. Also, be sure to include your principal on your communications to families to keep them in the loop.
CARROLL ISD:
The district will begin distance learning next week. It will launch resources, family fun activities and support resources to the families via their website.
FORT WORTH ISD:
Spokesman Clint Bond said the district's plan is to have online instruction up and running by this Wednesday morning, March 18.
He said the district will offer online instruction to all FWISD students and that its online platform will be a blend of different administration strategies. The district will have activities related to different content areas, online assignments, and activities.