Houston students who are struggling in online classes may soon be required to return to in-person learning, according to a notice sent to principals this week.
In the Jan. 4 memo, administrators with the Houston Independent School District told principals that they can stop remote learning for students who’ve had three or more unexcused absences in a grading period or who have an average grade of 70 or below in their classes.
If campuses choose to require those students to return to face-to-face instruction, they have to give their families a two-week notice.
The option to deny virtual instrution is a measure that the Texas Education Agency gave school districts last fall.
So far HISD has not used it, though the Pasadena Independent School District moved to stop virtual instruction for struggling students in December.
Families who don’t want their children to return to in-person learning have an option to appeal a notice, or submit a medical exemption.
The change for Houston schools comes as the region is grappling with a surge in the coronavirus.
This is so incredibly cruel, in a pandemic with a rising infection rate, where a vast majority of students are Black & Latino, from communities dying disproportionately of Covid. We need to inform families about the option to homeschool . @lauraisensee @AliyyaSwaby @ChronJacob https://t.co/vwp9Fw9L2L
— MonicaFloresRichart (@MonicaRichart) January 6, 2021
COVID-19 patients have made up 15% or more of the surrounding hospital capacity for seven days.
That automatically triggers restrictions, under Abbott’s orders, includingi the closure of all bars and limiting restaurant capacity to 50%.
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