NEDERLAND, Texas — The start of classes in the Nederland ISD have been delayed until August 31 according to a notice on the district’s website.
The district also announced in the statement that 30 minutes would be added to the school day. The school year will end on May 26, 2021.
The updated school calendar including schedules for each school level can be found on the district’s website.
The statement cited several benefits of pushing back the start of school including…
- Continued development of plans for “positive student outcomes”
- More time to receive and distribute mobile devices and internet hotspots to students
- More time to receive more PPE and safety and health supplies
- Additional chances to rain students and parents on Google Classroom
- Helping to flatten the curve of COVID-19
The district made the decision after reviewing guidance from the Texas Education Agency and Southeast Texas health officials. The district also took student, parent and teacher survey responses into consideration according to the statement.
Parents need to choose by August 17 if their students will participate in “Track One” for in-person instruction in the classroom or “Track Two for online instruction.
Teachers are set to return to work on August 10, 2020 the statement said.
Full statement from Nederland ISD…
The number one priority of Nederland ISD is to ensure the safety and well-being of our school community while providing students with an exceptional educational experience. With that in mind, Nederland ISD has amended the school calendar and will begin the 2020-2021 school year with a delayed start date of August 31st. This decision was not easy and was made after reviewing guidance issued by the Texas Education Agency, in consideration of recommendations by local health officials, and reviewing student, parent, and teacher survey results.
The amended school calendar and school hours can be found on the Nederland ISD website. The first day of instruction is August 31st. The last day of instruction is May 26th. An additional 30 minutes will still be added to the school day.
The additional weeks will allow for a number of outcomes including:
Continue developing plans that help increase opportunities for positive student outcomes.
More time to receive and distribute mobile devices and when needed “hotspots” to students.
More time to receive additional safety and health supplies (Ex: PPE’s, Plexiglass, UV lights for HVAC, etc.) A number of these items are on backorder at this time.
Additional opportunities to train students and parents in Google Classroom.
Help in the efforts of flattening the curve of COVID-19.
Teachers are scheduled to return to work on August 10th. All teachers and other employees will report to duty at their respective schools and work locations on that date. At this time, there will still be an In-Person and Virtual instruction for all students beginning August 31st. Students will still be allowed to choose between either Track One – In-Person Learning or Track Two – Virtual Learning. With the current guidelines, parents will choose a track by August 17th.
“We have learned so much over the last five months. This situation changes daily and we have to adapt to the new challenges presented to us. Our goal is to provide the best educational experience for our students as possible. We realize that this decision could place a burden on families who need to arrange for childcare. We apologize for the inconvenience. However, as a District, we feel this is necessary to keep our students and employees safe. We are eager to welcome your students back with open arms on August 31st.”
Please keep checking the Nederland ISD website and social media pages for more information. As mentioned many times before, we appreciate your patience, cooperation, and support. Together as a community, we will work in partnership to safely transform learning for our students.
