SPRING, Texas — Ponderosa Elementary students will mosey back to school on Monday and join other Spring ISD pre-K through second-graders choosing to return to on-campus learning weeks after the year began remotely.
"Do we believe that the students belong with us at school?" said Dr. Lupita Hinojosa, Spring ISD chief of innovation and equity. "Absolutely. And we’re working tirelessly to make sure that we can make that happen in a safe environment. Safety is a main focus."
Spring ISD developed a timeline for in-person instruction that begins Sept. 14 with the youngest students and those with special needs.
Seven additional grades will begin the following week before grades eight,11 and 12 on Sept. 28.
Like other districts, Spring ISD also launched an online COVID-19 tracker so families can keep up with active cases from campus-to-campus.
The district also produced a series of videos showing the different safety protocols in each grade level from inside schools to onboard buses.
"Of course, we ask our families, our parents, our students to give us a little bit of grace because this will be a new world for all of us,” Hinojosa said.
A number of parents with very small children told us they’re still not comfortable sending them back to school since they may be less prone to follow guidance.
Meanwhile, others said they’re more than ready for a sense of normalcy.
Spring ISD announced Friday that it received a $15,000 grant through the Harris County Partners in Education Program.
The money will help purchase enough WiFi hot-spots to help 60 families better connect to online learning.