Sarah Brager
In light of Governor Abbot’s ruling to push the start of school in Texas, Hays CISD formed a District Leadership Team (DLT), which met on July 14 to review ideas for fall instruction. They released the following response plan for back-to-school: students will start with three weeks of online instruction, and after this period, they may choose between at-home or in-person learning. It was emphasized the plan is fluid and subject to change.
The district will be implementing safety regulations for those who choose to return to campus, such as mandatory face coverings, symptom screening, and temperature checks upon entering each morning.
"We know, based on the nature of this pandemic and the size of the district, odds are not in our favor for us to be completely COVID-19 free as the new school year gets underway. Our best efforts to keep campuses safe will make a huge difference, particularly if we all do our part," the district wrote in its response plan.
While some students believe an in-person environment is crucial for learning, others have come forward with concerns about the likely spike in cases that will occur if students return to school.
Some students, such as rising senior Alena Hernandez, appreciate the school’s attempt to provide alternative options for those who are not comfortable with returning to campus; however, she believes an in-person option can threaten the health of the community.
“I’m 100% confident that reopening schools could lead to another wave of cases. The people in our community have yet to take things seriously; our little county has numbers that are almost as high as large counties, like in Austin,” Hernandez said.
Other students are prioritizing their family’s safety before a normal school year. Some students cannot risk infecting their household, for the outcome could be detrimental. Rising senior Andrea Diaz works at local bakery Sweet Cakes 4 U, owned by her family, and she expressed that returning to campus would be “too much of a risk to take.”
“If I were to be exposed to COVID-19 or have the virus, my whole family would have to quarantine. This would leave our small business with little management and not enough staff to cover shifts. This could possibly lead to us having to close the bakery for the safety of our customers and most of all our employees,” Diaz said.
It is not only students that would be taking a risk by returning to school; teachers will face the same threats to their health. The only difference, they have less of a choice in the matter.
Rising senior Charlotte Odell, daughter of Hays High School English teacher Melissa Odell, expressed concern for her mom’s health and well-being.
“My mom is a single parent and I am an only child, so my mom is really my whole family. We have already had a family member who had COVID-19 and she didn’t recover for almost three months, and I would never want my mom or any other Hays CISD faculty member to be in pain and out of work for that long,” Charlotte said.
Hernandez and others believed the district could have released a plan sooner, given that they saw signs of delay back in March. This would have given teachers more time to prepare for the unique school year. Regardless of this, Hernandez said the plan has “many good elements,”and even though she does not believe in-person learning is a safe option, she is satisfied with what the DLT came up with.
“I understand the district’s desire to keep it up to the parents' discretion. The uproar in our community would be huge if it was not an option, and I think with everything the district is facing right now, such as sexual assault cases, the mascot change and David Bowe, I do not think they are in the position to face that backlash too,” Hernandez said.
