‘We have to be cautious’: HISD schools reopen
Over 80K students back on campus as area’s largest district resumes in-person instruction
In his first five years as principal of Houston ISD’s Booker T. Washington High School, Carlos Phillips would greet each student in the morning with a handshake, a personal touch meant to make students feel welcome at the Northside campus.
Phillips plans to set aside his tradition Monday, when more than 400 students are expected to walk through Washington’s doors for the first time in seven months, though the mere sight of students back in the classroom will carry him through.
“That’s something that’s going to be very difficult for me not to do, just really getting around in the new era,” Phillips said. “That personal touch from a teacher, being able to embrace students, doing small-group instruction — we have to be cautious with how we go back.”
With the novel coronavirus still top of mind, HISD will welcome back an estimated 80,000-plus of its nearly 200,000 students to classrooms Monday, becoming the region’s final large district to reopen campuses for in-person instruction.
The return will come with new safety, scheduling and teaching protocols, some of which will vary across the district’s 280 campuses. All students returning to buildings must wear masks, while staff members will direct children to frequently use hand sanitizer and wash their hands. Many schools plan to stagger bell schedules, aiming to limit hallway traffic, while most teachers are pre-
paring to provide in-person and online instruction at the same time.
The restart arrives asmany districts across the state report only sporadic cases of students and staff stepping foot on campus while infected with COVID-19, a positive early sign amid the pandemic. As of Friday, seven Houston-area high schools had reported outbreaks involving more than 10 active cases at one time, with no elementary or middle schools reaching that threshold.
However, HISD’s return comes with some risks. About 85 percent of HISD students are Black or Hispanic, two demographic groups that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. In addition, case counts and hospitalizations in Greater Houston have started creeping up in the past couple weeks after a major dip in the late summer.
“I’m a little nervous, because all of this with the virus is not good,” said Norma Vasquez Chavez, whose kindergartner and fifth-grader will attend in-person classes Monday at Brookline Elementary School on the district’s southeast side. “Every time my daughters go out, I’m telling them about using the masks, using the hand sanitizer. I’m trying to trust in them and all that the school is doing.”
The lingering concerns are reflected in the fact that about 60 percent of HISD students are expected to continue learning from home Monday, despite the district offering in-person classes to all families. Under state guidelines, HISD had until Nov. 2 to provide face-to-face instruction to all students who wanted it.
Some of HISD’s roughly 25,000 employees, who returned to school buildings Oct. 12, also have voiced concern about safety in recent weeks. Districts across the state are mandating that staff without a legally entitled accommodation must return to work, with few exceptions.
“It’s been mixed,” HISD interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said of employees’ attitudes. “A lot of staff members are excited, they’re happy. A lot of people still have concerns, and that’s just based on their personal situations. Some people have family members that have been ill.”
Staff worries
HISD’s actions in recent weeks also have heightened fears among some staff members.
District leaders have not published metrics forwhen HISD will change its “gauge,” showing if and how in-person classes are held. HISD moved from “red,” which requires keeping campuses closed, to “orange,” which allows for in-person classes with mandatory social distancing, on Oct. 9, three days before staff were scheduled to return to buildings.
HISD also changed its desk distancing requirements from a mandatory 6 feet to “whenever
possible,” citing “updated public health and educational guidelines.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended spacing desks 6 feet apart “when feasible” in early September.
Wheatley High School teacher Kendra Yarbrough, however, called on district leaders to reverse the switch.
“This will greatly help reduce teachers’ stress,” Yarbrough said. “Many of us are struggling currently, trying to make decisions, figuring out how do we keep ourselves safe, as well as ensure that we’re providing for our own families who are at high risk.”
While HISD’s safety plans are
relatively standardized, campus leaders have had to tailor changes to their school needs.
Seven campuses will take advantage of a state guideline allowing high schools to use a “hybrid” model, in which students choosing in-person classes split their days between learning on-campus and at home. They are Energy Institute, Lamar, Liberty, Madison, Sterling and Westbury high schools, as well as Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center.
At Booker T. Washington High, Phillips plans to increase social distancing by offering more oncampus spots for students to eat lunch and eliminating class bells, allowing teachers to gradually dismiss students.
“That’s the biggest concern I have, just making sure everyone feels safe and can navigate their learning,” Phillips said.
District officials also have had to ration access to bus service for safety reasons, with special priority given to students with disabilities, homeless children and students attending far-away magnet schools, among others. HISD expects to bus about 5,000 to 7,000 students daily to start the year, down from about 15,000 before the pandemic.
Steps toward digitization
While HISD officials reported hiccups with student attendance and technology access in the early days of the 2020-21 school year, district leaders are seeing improvements.
HISD reported that about 197,000 students were attending online classes by early October, up from about 160,400 in early September. In addition, technology devices from district and state orders have arrived in the past several weeks, ensuring that all HISD students requesting a computer and wireless internet hot spot have received them.
“If there is a blessing to COVID, it’s that we have digitized all of our kids — and that’s a really big deal,” said Sue Deigaard, president of the HISD board of trustees.