Spring Branch ISD Featured News

(Spanish)

Dear SBISD Families, Staff and Community Members,

At last night’s SBISD Board of Trustees Special Workshop Meeting, we shared an update on LearnSBISD, our plan for the 2020-21 school year. The discussion item included:

• interim data from our employee survey and family choice information, and
• notice of a letter sent to Superintendents by Harris County Judge Hidalgo and Dr. Shah, executive director and local health authority for Harris County Public Health, recommending it is not safe for schools to open for in-person instruction until October due to the level of COVID-19 in our area.

I reiterated that LearnSBISD is subject to change based on updated guidance from local, state or national health or government agencies. Our two guiding imperatives driving all decisions around LearnSBISD will always be: 

• the health, safety and well-being of our students, staff and families, and
• the academic growth and social-emotional development our students need and deserve and their families expect.

We provided three options for starting the school year, including an option to push the first day of school by three weeks to September 8.  This option gives us flexibility to continue to monitor local health context, with the hope we can begin school on September 8 offering both in-person and distance learning models that are included in the LearnSBISD plan. This change achieves the three-week delay to in-person learning area districts have implemented, considers the feedback from our employees, and honors the commitment we have made to family choice.

We reserve the right to modify our plan should guidance or local context require.

The SBISD Board of Trustees will host a 3:00 p.m. special meeting this Friday, July 24. Trustees will consider a vote to revise the SBISD calendar, including a later start date of September 8, 2020.

We know you will have many questions about what this possible change means for you. We will provide additional specific information following the Board of Trustees meeting.

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we navigate ever-changing guidance and local health conditions.

For questions, please use Let’s Connect, our new communications tool. Look for the Let’s Connect icon on our website.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Blaine, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools