CISD makes plans for return to class this fall

Cameron students will have choices when they return to school in the fall.

The Cameron Independent School District Board of Trustees heard the first installment of those plans from Assistant Superintendent Mistie Dakroub during a meeting Monday night.

Dakroub told board members administration is working hard to nail down a plan for the fall, but right now there is a different direction from the state every day.

The district is asking parents and guardians to go to the CISD website to fill out a survey about what they feel they want to do with their child in the fall as well as access to Internet and technology. You can find that survey at https://bit.ly/Back2SchoolYOE

Dakroub said parents would have a choice for sending their children to school or keeping them home and working virtually this fall. Classes will begin on Aug. 19 for Cameron ISD. Parents have until Aug. 4 to make a decision.

“We started planning for this year by looking at what we didn’t have this spring and how we could fix that,” Dakroub said. “How can we make lessons accessible to those without Internet?”

She said the thing they needed to focus on in the fall is direct instruction. 

“That becomes a huge issue if the kid misses the last nine weeks of school, but it is catastrophic if the kid misses the entire school year.”

Dakroub said administration plans to discuss plans with staff over the coming week about what will be best for everyone and will come back to the board with a complete plan.

“We really had to look at access to the Internet,” she said. “I don’t mean a cell phone, I mean legitimate Internet access.”

She said right now the plan is to have DVDs with lessons available for those who want to keep their children at home. All lessons will also be available online for those with Internet access.

She also said each campus will have videos before school starts that will be released on social media and the district website to give students and parents a picture of what school will look like in the fall. Things such as where students are dropped off, how lunch will work, and social distancing protocol will be included on the videos.

“Each campus has been talking about what that looks like,” she said. “We are looking for ways to limit interaction and have fewer bodies in the same space.”

She said staff would begin to create curriculum packets for the first six weeks as well as work on the instructional videos over the coming weeks.

“The majority of households have a DVD player,” she said. “That gives them the ability to access instructional videos for each six weeks.”

There are two options for families: you can stay home and do work remotely or come to school as usual. 

She said there would be staff to check on the students that choose to learn from home. Families will need to choose what they want to do for the first six weeks of the school year in the survey. They will be allowed to switch what they choose per six weeks grading period.

“We are working on a plans and structure that flows for everyone,” she said. “We want to make sure we are providing something good for the kids, but manageable for the teachers.”

Superintendent Kevin Sprinkles said teachers in the whole grade level would develop curriculum, so teachers are not expected to build both in class and remote learning lessons.

“We are trying to develop an exemplar learning system online to keep in line with our goals,” Sprinkles said. “I think the direction we are going is good. I believe in our teachers. How hard our people in this district work has been impressive to me.”

The board also voted to add more time to the school year in order to have room to make up possible missed days due to COVID-19.

Sprinkles said they are trying to build in some days for the event that there is a positive COVID test at a certain campus that needs to be remedied. 

“It could be all year long that we need to do this,” he said. “With COVID-19 it is necessary to consider more time. I am asking to add all the days in June 2021 as make-up days should they be needed.”

Sprinkles said they have added 10 minutes to each school day in order to have five days of banked minutes to use in the event a break or closing of a campus would be needed.

“This is going to be the most important year to support our teachers,” Sprinkles said. “This is going to be a tough year.”

In other business the board also: heard from Sprinkles about the installation of security at all campuses; reviewed the campus handbooks, code of conduct, gifted and talented handbook, and technology plan; and approved EBCO Development at the vendor for the work on the YHS Ag Facility renovation.