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Austin ISD planning on in-person, virtual hybrid model for 2021-22 school year

Teachers will be selected for one model to eliminate the concurrent instructional design.

AUSTIN, Texas — In a letter to Austin ISD families on Friday, Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde announced that the district is planning to continue offering both virtual and in-person instruction for the 2021-22 school year.

This fall, she said teachers will be selected for one model to eliminate the concurrent instructional design, which means teaching via Zoom and in person at the same time.

Her letter can be read in full below:

Dear Austin ISD families,

I hope you are looking forward to your well-deserved spring break while remaining safe and healthy.

I appreciate your continued flexibility throughout this school year as it has allowed us to adjust as needed in the interest of our students, families, and staff.

We recognize that students have lost a lot of time this year in days of instruction. In an effort to recover some time, we will offer a regular school day on Friday, April 9 — on-campus and remotely. This day was previously announced as an asynchronous day. On April 9, transportation will be provided for students who attend on campus. Students learning remotely will be engaged with their teachers.

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In addition, we recognize that spring is when families are planning for fall. We anticipate welcoming students back to campuses and providing standard face-to-face instruction and an optional virtual hybrid model for the 2021-22 school year. The commitment from our district will include that with these options, teachers will be selected for one model to eliminate the concurrent (teaching via Zoom and in person at the same time) instructional design. There are many more details to come, but we wanted to share as much as we can as we move through this very fluid process. As we continue to work with our internal team members and receive additional guidance from the Texas Education Agency, we will share updated plans for the fall. AISD will continue to follow safety protocols as recommended, at that time, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Finally, as you may have heard, cases and hospitalization across the state and nation have gone down in recent weeks. While this news indicates our united efforts are paying off, we will only end this pandemic if we continue to practice health and safety measures. Whether you are on campus or in public, I encourage you to keep wearing your face mask, social distancing where needed, and to take advantage of any opportunity to obtain a vaccine.

Thank you for being a part of Austin ISD.

Sincerely,

Stephanie S. Elizalde
Superintendent

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