In accordance with an order issued by Texas Gov. Greb Abbott, the Hays CISD May 2 bond election has been moved to Nov. 3.

The board of trustees voted unanimously during a online zoom special meeting on Monday to change the election date.

The remainder of the meeting was devoted to an update by Superintendent Eric Wright on the district’s responses to COVID-19.

He said the district is looking at expanding lunch sites because of increased consumption. They are also looking to find a way for one parent to pick the lunch up in an effort to reduce social crowding.

Organizing distance learning will take some effort due to internet and textbook accessibility. Wright said the district ordered an additional 3,000 Chromebooks for students to use at home, which may take a little more time than anticipated to come in due to high volumes of orders from other schools.

One issue is that not all students have internet in their homes, but internet companies are offering a three-month period of free services, Wright noted. So far, they have no numbers on how many students are home without internet; the district will soon tally that information.

Doing lessons online seemed like the quickest option because Hays CISD needs to request rights from textbook manufacturers to copy packets for students. In case getting rights to the books takes too long, the board will suggest that teachers try to find material to print out that aligns with their lessons.

Slides and instructions in Spanish have been posted online for bilingual students whose second language is English.

Learning is not the only item changed. During the board meeting, Wright talked about graduation. Instead of a ceremony in May, students will walk the stage on June 26. As many things during this outbreak, this date is subject to change.

“Graduation is too important for us not to do everything we can to make it happen,” said Tim Savoy, chief communication officer, on March 27. “But we also need to make sure everyone stays safe and healthy.”

Although some issues have been addressed and worked through, some pressing matters are still undecided, including how to aid students with special needs who require hands-on attention.