NAVASOTA, Texas — Navasota ISD announced its back to school plans for the 2020-2021 academic year.
In a Zoom Meeting Monday afternoon, superintendent Dr. Stu Musick said students will have two options when school begins again on Aug. 24; on-campus learning or at-home remote learning.
On-campus learning will require all students and Navasota ISD staff to perform daily self-screenings. Third through twelfth graders and staff will also be required to wear masks, under Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order.
Musick said secondary schools (Navasota High School, Bizzell Academy and Navasota Junior High) and elementary schools will follow two different plans. Musick said the daily plans are detailed from student arrival through dismissal. The detailed plans will be shared with the community and posted online sometime this week.
If a student wanted to participate in extracurricular activities they must take part in on-campus learning.
"It makes sense that if a student or parent is not comfortable with a student coming back to school, they would not be comfortable with them participating in practices or performances."
Navasota ISD is building in 'If Needed Days' into the 2020-2021 academic calendar.
"This would allow us, if we did have some school closures, to have a plan for what we will do to make those days up," said Musick. "Most likely those days will be built into the spring and tacked onto after the school year in case we needed extra days if we had extended closures throughout the year."
If a student were to choose the at-home remote learning route, parents must commit to a nine-week grading period at a time. Students cannot switch to on-campus learning during the nine weeks.
The learning for at-home learning is what Musick calls 'asynchronous' online instruction. Students are able to complete their course work on their time, whether it is in the morning, afternoon or at night. However, there will be required daily interaction in order to be counted in attendance.
Teachers and students will use Google Classroom for assignments and lessons.
Navasota ISD will send families a survey to get feedback on its plan to return to school. Musick said parents can see that survey posted sometime this week. That survey will ask parents to choose which option they want their students to take part in for the first nine weeks of school. The survey will close the two weeks before the school year starts.
Online registration will also open this week.
