Fall 2020 School Re-opening Guidelines
from the Texas Education Agency
On Tuesday, June 24, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released new guidelines regarding re-opening schools this upcoming Fall 2020 semester.
While parents have the option to send their children back to school to partake in-person learning, it is not required. Parents instead may opt for remote learning and keep their children home, if desired.
To best meet the needs of all student learning for the 2020-2021 school year, the TEA outlined two new methods of instruction:
- Remote synchronous instruction
- Remote asynchronous instruction
The remote synchronous instruction method requires that all students and teachers be present at the same time through an electronic device, such as a laptop, desktop, or smartphone.
The remote asynchronous instruction method does not require everyone to be present at the same time. Instead, students may complete a preplanned task, such as watching a video recording or didactic game. Students may complete these tasks on their own time and will receive periodic instruction from their teacher.
As Texas schools shift to implement these two new methods of learning, the TEA explains that schools will be allotted funds, based on their previous attendance records. It is also important to note that the TEA will provide schools with personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, hand sanitizer, and face shields to distribute to students who return to school for in-person learning. PPE should be delivered to school districts around mid-July to early-August.
