Updated at 9:25 p.m. with more information from the United Educators Association of Texas.
Parents at the Fort Worth Independent School District will be given the choice between in-person or virtual learning for their child's fall semester, district officials announced Wednesday.
Parents can either send their students to campus or they can participate in a "more robust online learning experience," the district said.
Classes begin Aug. 17. All teachers will return to the classroom.
The district says this is "taking 'school choice' to a new level."
Online learning will be different than in the spring to reflect "new professional training and higher expectations for both educators and students," the district said.
In-person instruction will follow strict guidelines to protect the health and safety of everyone in a campus setting, the district said. More details about online and in-person instruction will be shared in the coming days.
“We’re working on a system now whereby students would be receiving the same lessons, the same curriculum whether they’re in person or at home," Superintendent Dr. Kent Scribner said.
Teachers were caught off guard by the sudden social media announcement, according to the United Educators Association of Texas.
“They weren’t expecting decisions to be made so soon and so definitely without information being provided to them," said UEA executive director Steven Poole. “I don’t think Fort Worth even knows the full plan of what the fall is going to look like because we’re still waiting on guidance from the state.”
Scribner said Wednesday the district will supply PPE to all staff and students, but he isn’t sure if masks will be required. Students can learn virtually and still do extracurriculars like athletics or music, and teachers can teach online, in person or a mix of both.
“Teachers would like to have that training sooner than later so they can prepare if they’re having to provide any instruction virtually," Pool said.
He expects to train more staff to be able to teach to reduce class sizes and classes will be spread out across gyms, cafeterias, libraries and more.
“We’re redoubling our effort to clean our schools more frequently and deep clean our schools," Scribner said.
He's also aware that families will have different needs and abilities when it comes to learning at home versus in school and the district will continue to provide equipment and resources to those that need it.
"The spring semester laid bare the disparity in resources, and socioeconomics is one of the biggest factors there," Poole said.
Scribner says they’re still figuring out how to handle an outbreak of positive cases and transportation.
A recent survey about reopening received about 35,000 participants, 52% of whom said they preferred the traditional school calendar for the fall, the district said.
The school year calendar is online here.
