FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — Students who attend schools in Fort Bend Independent School District will not return to a traditional classroom environment this school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Instead, they will continue their classes online.
There will be no face-to-face classroom instruction this year and commencement events for the Class of 2020 will be postponed until July.
Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Dr. Charles Dupre made the announcement on Tuesday and said that since the statewide school closure is in effect through at least May 4, it was in the "best interest of our students and staff that Fort Bend ISD continue online classes through the remainder of the 2019-20 school year."
Dupre said many families and staff members wouldn't want to immediately return to school and work to avoid potential exposure to the virus.
"Because there are only three weeks remaining of instruction after May 4, we believe it will be even more disruptive to our students, staff and teachers to ask them to pivot back into our buildings and the traditional classroom environment," Dupre said.
Here is the entire message:
"I am writing to share plans for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. Following much consideration and discussions with our Board of Trustees, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the current state-wide school closure in effect through at least May 4, Fort Bend ISD will not return to face-to-face classroom instruction this year. It has become clear that it will be in the best interest of our students and staff that Fort Bend ISD continues online classes through the remainder of the 2019-20 school year.
"There are several factors we took into consideration, with safety and security being our top priority – we know that, even if Governor Abbott allows schools to reopen as of May 4, many families and staff members will be reluctant to return to school and work to avoid potential exposure to the virus. Additionally, because there are only three weeks remaining of instruction after May 4, we believe it will be even more disruptive to our students, staff and teachers to ask them to pivot back into our buildings and the traditional classroom environment.
"We have built systems and structures to deliver learning online for the time being, and while we recognize this system is not perfect, we believe it will allow us to successfully complete the year while we focus on our planning for the reopening of school in August and re-strategizing to make up for any lost learning in the current year.
"We have also announced that commencement exercises for the Class of 2020 will be postponed to July. We are in the process of scheduling dates at the Smart Financial Center, which will be announced in the very near future. High school campus principals will be sharing information about end of year events for seniors, including information about refunds for canceled events.
"You can expect more information in a video update soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to keep you informed about the latest developments. We are continuing our work together to support students, staff and families in the short- and long-term, and we will keep you updated as there is more information to share."