Summer School is In Session at GISD

Groesbeck ISD has reopened two campuses to select students for in-person instruction for the first time since mid-March, when statewide closures were mandated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Summer school, which began July 6 and will conclude on July 30, is being conducted with several health and safety precautions in place, and about a quarter of enrolled students are completing the work remotely with learning packets and/or online instruction.

“Summer school is an opportunity for us to help students and for students to learn and be prepared for the next grade level or course,” said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Dianna Freeman. “We are very grateful that the families of Groesbeck ISD have entrusted us with the safety and education of their children. We are working to ensure that our students have a healthy and supportive environment in which to learn.”

Though face masks are optional for students, GISD employees are wearing masks and facilitating proper hygiene procedures such as correct hand-washing techniques and covering mouth and nose when sneezing, in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Several other measures put in place by the district are outlined below.

Entrance and exit procedures have been developed to reduce student contact.

Students will eat breakfast and lunch in their classrooms each day.

The number of students per class has been calculated for 6-foot distancing.

All students’ families will complete a COVID-19 screening once each week.

Students’ temperatures will be checked daily at the door before they are allowed to enter the building. A student with a temperature greater than or equal to 100 degrees Fahrenheit will be quarantined and sent home after contact is made with their parent(s).

If students have more than one teacher, the teachers will change classrooms and the students will remain in place to minimize students encountering others.

Hand sanitizers and wash stations are available at each entrance.

Hand sanitizer will be available in every classroom. Students are encouraged to sanitize and/or wash their hands frequently or after touching something that someone else has recently touched.

Students will have scheduled restroom breaks to minimize contact with others.

Restrooms and classrooms will be cleaned and sanitized daily.

Classroom windows will be opened wherever possible to improve airflow allowing outside air to circulate in the room.

Parent visits within the building are not allowed at this time.

The district is also providing transportation to students for summer school, though the number of bus routes has decreased and students are picked up and dropped off in specific locations in Groesbeck, Thornton, Kosse, and Old Union instead of from their homes. Students are provided with hand sanitizer, encouraged but not required to wear masks, and must sit one to a seat, having no contact with others while riding the bus.

As far as the upcoming fall semester goes, Superintendent Dr. James Cowley sent out a letter to parents on Thursday, July 2, explaining that per Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, “public health guidance for school district campuses is still being finalized”. Cowley further shared that the district is preparing for the fall semester by purchasing hand sanitizers, no-touch thermometers, gloves, face masks, and more, and that the district has been informed they will receive personal protective equipment (PPE) shipments from TEA and the Governor’s office in coming months.

“I know that many questions exist about the start of the 2020-2021 school year,” Freeman said. “We are working diligently to make plans that will follow health guidelines and meet the needs of our students and families.”

While breakfast and lunch are provided for students enrolled in summer school, students who are not attending are still invited to pick-up lunch from 11:00 - 11:45 AM in the H.O. Whitehurst Car Rider Line.

As more information, recommendations, and guidelines regarding public school openings become available, the district will make decisions about what the 2020-2021 school year will look like, and you can count on the Groesbeck Journal to share that information! Keep an eye out for future editions of the Journal for details on decisions by the district.