NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — One month from now, New Braunfels Independent School District students will start the new school year. In a few days, the school board will vote on what the first few weeks will look like.
Some parents hope the in-person option stays in place.
“Ace is almost five years old, so he [is] the youngest of the Unicorns here in New Braunfels,” said New Braunfels mom, Katie Chafin.
She has Ace’s school supplies and Paw Patrol backpack ready to go. Her Pre-K student is excited to see his teachers and have some normalcy.
“He's [in] special education, so it's really important for our community, for them to go back to school,” said Chafin. “They're also going to therapy as well.”
Chafin says having trained teachers is crucial for Ace in this stage of development. Using an iPad for lessons in the spring didn’t go smoothly.
“The virtual learning was really hard for him being so young and being special needs,” said Chafin. “He's ADHD, so it's very hard for him to sit down. That's one of his goals, is to be able to interact and do class and learn. A big part of preschool is playing as well as learning.”
Chafin is among many parents hoping for in-person options. The district reports that out of 7,400 parent survey responses, 66% opted for in-person instruction.
The district is using the responses for planning purposes. Parents will be asked to make their final selection during online registration which opens on August 3.
So far, NBISD is preparing for in-person and remote learning options. School board members are expected to vote on final plans, Tuesday. The Superintendent says his recommendation is to have remote-only learning for the first three weeks.
“Those decisions are not just mine. The Board has the opportunity to debate those, to discuss those and to vote on that,” said NBISD Superintendent Randy Moczygemba. “Based on the numbers, as they are right now and what we know, it is still my recommendation that we start remote for all students. But again, that decision will be officially made and we want to do it by the first of next week. We know that that decision has to be made, so you as parents can make decisions about what you're going to do with your kids.”
The district posts updates online and the Superintendent holds a parent update meeting on Zoom, every Wednesday night at 5:30. A recording of the meeting is posted the next day.
Chafin hopes next week’s decision keeps options open for parents.
“Take it day by day and hopefully we're going to go back to school,” said Chafin. “People that want to do full-time, in-person to have that option and if you want to do virtual learning at home, you have that option as well. So I'm glad they're accommodating everybody.”
For Comal ISD parents, all but five campuses will offer in-person and remote options.
Four elementary schools and one middle school in Bexar County fall under a health directive for remote-only learning, for at least the first two weeks.
Comal ISD has more information posted on their website.