YISD not returning to school until further notice; online learning begins April 6
EL PASO, Texas (CBS4) — Officials with Ysleta Independent School said on Friday that students would not return to school on April 6 but until further notice.
However, online learning will begin April 6.
YISD will launch THEDISTRICT@Home online learning program for students on April 6 with support from teachers and principals, officials said Friday.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Xavier De La Torre said he will continue to monitor recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the El Paso County Health Department before determining a date for students to return to Ysleta ISD campuses.
“Rest assured that Ysleta ISD continues to work tirelessly to assist families in adjusting to these new circumstances, and to transition students from instruction in traditional classrooms to online learning at home in the most seamless and efficient way possible,” Dr. De La Torre said.
To accomplish this effort, Ysleta ISD teachers and instructional specialists have been planning lessons and preparing for students to begin virtual instruction on Monday, April 6. Teachers are currently making contact with students to familiarize them with the technology to ensure online lessons begin on April 6. Families without Internet access at home will be notified prior to April 6 with details on how to retrieve paper packets with instructional lessons from their child’s campus.
“Although the future is uncertain, we remain hopeful and optimistic,” Dr. De La Torre said. “We look forward to welcoming back our students and staff.”
THEDISTRICT@Home can be accessed at www.yisd.net, which has been transformed into a “one-stop shop” for families. It features extensive information and links on COVID-19, online learning, the newly launched Health Hotline staffed by school nurses, and “Grab & Go” school meals.
Families have responded overwhelmingly to Ysleta ISD’s “Grab & Go” drive-through meal service, which allows them to drive up to select schools from 7:30 to 11 a.m. on weekdays and receive curbside delivery of breakfast and lunch meals for children under 18. In its first full week, about 110,000 meals were distributed at participating Ysleta ISD sites combined.
Currently, children must be inside the vehicle for drivers to receive meals. However, the state is working to lift this restriction; any updates will be communicated to Ysleta ISD families. Effective Monday, March 30, the district will add an additional four “Grab & Go” sites, reflected in the list below:
- Capistrano Elementary School
- Constance Hulbert Elementary School
- Desertaire Elementary School
- Hacienda Elementary School
- Ramona Elementary School
- R.E.L. Washington Elementary School
- Tierra Del Sol Elementary School
- Bel Air Middle School
- Eastwood Middle School
- Del Valle Middle School
- Parkland Middle School
- Bel Air High School
- Del Valle High School
- Eastwood High School
- Hanks High School
- Parkland High School
- Riverside High School
- Ysleta High School
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