CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The London Independent School District put out notice late Tuesday that, due to the threat of COVID-19, the district will only offer remote learning to start off the 2020-21 school year.
Students at London ISD return to school on Wednesday, July 29.
Superintendent Dr. Judi Whitis wrote in a letter to parents that her and other area superintendents met with City of Corpus Christi officials to discuss concerns of COVID-19 in the community. She said due to a likelihood of a health order being put in place by city council and Nueces County as early as next week, they made adjustments to the start of their school year.
Distance learning will be offered at the start until eventually students are allowed back on campus, at which point the district says they will offer parents the choice to have their child continue distance learning or return to campus for face-to-face instruction. Parents were also warned that there will be different expectations and guidelines in distance learning than there were in the spring of the 2019-20 school year.
You can read the full letter below:
"Good Afternoon Pirates:
As we gear up for the start of the 2020-2021 school year, the health and safety of students, staff, and families continues to weigh heavily on our decisions to open our campuses for face to face instruction. On Monday, area superintendents met with city officials to discuss the growing concern that COVID is having in our community. The meeting resulted in the great likelihood of a health order being initiated by the City Council and Nueces County as early as next week.
It is our understanding that language in the health order will not allow schools the ability to offer on campus, face to face instruction until after Labor Day. We can, however, move to start school with remote learning. For London, this means we can keep the same school calendar, as revised on July 1, 2020, and begin student instruction via remote means on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. Once we know that we can return to school, we will provide parents the option of continuing the remote learning or the choice to be back on campus for face to face instruction.
Please be aware that remote learning will have different expectations and guidelines than what students experienced last spring. LISD has purchased a Texas based online curriculum for grades 3-12 that offers a rigorous academic program. Students will experience a variety of instructional content that is academically challenging and visually engaging to stimulate the educational mind and encourage academic discovery. The curriculum team is working on learning options and resources for PK-2 that are just as rigorous.
We have numerous logistics to address in order to be ready to start remote learning on July 29, 2020. Our administrative team is extremely busy, working tirelessly to focus on all of the normal details associated with back to school along with the new challenge of making learning happen one hundred percent remotely under revised state guidelines. As more information becomes available, we will contact you with details.
We thank you for your continued patience and support. Stay safe and healthy.
Dr. Judi Whitis
Superintendent"
London ISD announces remote learning to start off 2020-21 school year
Students at London ISD return to school on Wednesday, July 29.