Dallas ISD may need more time to prepare for the first day of school, whether it's online or in-person, the district's superintendent says.
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, with leaders of school districts in Fort Worth and Hurst-Euless-Bedford, sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott last week on behalf of 40 districts across Texas asking the state to allow districts to start the 2020-21 school year "with full online learning."
"I still think we need options and I'm still not optimistic that Aug. 17 is a reality. That's why we need to have another option ready to present to our board next week," Hinojosa said.
The letter from Hinojosa, Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent Scribner and HEB ISD Superintendent Steve Chapman was followed Monday by a letter signed by school board presidents of the state's 10 largest districts expressing concerns over Texas' plan to reopen schools.
A move to start school online would be similar to what large districts in California announced they would be doing as districts across the country look at everything from webcast classes to year-round schedules.
Even the move to online learning would be a challenge for Dallas ISD, which still has a significant number of students without internet access. Teachers still aren't ready to implement full online learning.
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"There's a lot of ramp-up we have to do, we've gotten the teachers trained on the mechanics, but now we have to train them on the content so we need the extra time to make sure they're all ready to deliver that," Hinojosa said.
He said he planned to deliver options to the school board at its meeting next week.
