Frisco to offer virtual choice for kids ineligible for COVID shot. Other districts had to scrap it - The Dallas Morning News

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5:30 p.m.: This story has been updated to include statements from the Frisco superintendent.

Frisco school leaders plan to offer a last-minute virtual learning option for students who aren’t yet eligible for the coronavirus vaccine.

District officials decided to bring back online learning because of concerns about rising COVID cases and the highly contagious delta variant.

“There is a concern about the increase in disease activity,” Superintendent Mike Waldrip said. “We felt it was important to offer this as an option for families.”

Frisco school officials were among the loudest voices pushing the Legislature to allow the state to fund virtual classes in a similar manner as in-person learning. They hoped to establish a long-term option for the limited number of students who thrived in online school.

School leaders expected state funding for online school to gain lawmakers’ approval in the waning days of the legislative session. But a last-minute walkout by Texas House Democrats to stop a controversial elections proposal also dealt a blow to the virtual learning bill.

As a result, many districts — including Frisco — scrapped plans to keep virtual learning for the upcoming school year. In a letter to families after the session ended, Waldrip wrote that “Frisco ISD has no choice but to discontinue planning for this option in the coming school year.”

But this week, district leaders emailed staff to say they would move forward anyway and find a way to fund it. Students in early childhood classes through sixth grade are now able to sign up for virtual learning for the fall semester. Kids 12 and older are eligible for the vaccine.

Frisco schools reopen Aug. 12. Students who switch to virtual learning will begin a few days later, on Aug. 16.

District officials stressed that the move is temporary because there isn’t permanent funding to keep virtual classes. Once there is a widely available vaccine for children under 12, online instruction will end.

That’s because, under the state’s current funding model, it will be extremely expensive. For every student who enrolls in virtual learning, the district expects to lose about $40 per child per day.

“What we’ve estimated is that for about every 1,000 students, it will cost us about $3.5 million a semester to offer a virtual option,” Waldrip said.

The district plans to use federal pandemic relief funds to cover the cost. If that’s not enough, officials will lean on the district’s surplus and potentially tap into reserve funds.

Frisco joins other school districts in Central Texas in canceling and then launching a virtual program in response to rising COVID-19 cases. In recent days, Austin, Round Rock and Pflugerville ISDs made similar announcements, according to The Austin-American Statesman.

The districts’ announcements come a week after Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth reported a surge of COVID-19 cases with more than 60 kids testing positive a day. Gov. Greg Abbott barred schools from mandating masks, ignoring pleas from educators and families to allow local leaders to make that decision.

Education Commissioner Mike Morath previously used disaster powers to allow school districts to operate full-time virtual programs. That power is no longer available and can’t be used to authorize funding for remote instruction in the new school year, Texas Education Agency officials have said.

Just a handful of full-time virtual schools in operation pre-2013 are authorized to receive full state funding.

Educators hoped virtual schooling would be tacked onto the special session agenda that started July 8. Lawmakers can only address items added to the call by Abbott.

With the special session set to conclude in less than a week, Abbott has not prioritized online learning. The governor is expected to call additional special sessions, however, and Dallas Superintendent Michael Hinojosa is optimistic it will be added to lawmakers’ list of items to address.

“If there’s another special session, don’t be surprised if there’s some pressure to put [virtual schooling] back on,” Hinojosa said, noting that online learning could be a good choice for 5% of students.

Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, who chairs the Senate’s Education Committee, has said he is working on a virtual learning proposal that would keep the option open for students who wanted it.

“I’m not promoting virtual education for all students, but I am still trying to keep that option available … for the school districts that have already set up good programs,” Taylor said during a July panel discussion.

Taylor’s proposal may have the support of the more than 30 House Democrats who wrote to Abbott on July 23, asking him to give schools the ability to offer virtual education and require masks.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.

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