In an email sent to parents on Thursday, Kerrville ISD announced that students will NOT be returning to school on Monday, March 23. To protect the health and safety of students and the community, the district will close all schools until further notice. Online learning will begin on Monday, March 30.
To ensure proper nutrition and food equity, KISD will be providing free breakfast and lunch pickup for students beginning on Monday, March 23. Details about how to take advantage of this free service will be forthcoming.
Teachers and staff will continue to be paid their normal salaries as this crisis continues. A communique to faculty with instructions on how teachers should proceed is expected later today.
This decision follows the emergency board meeting held on Wednesday evening during which the Board of Trustees approved a resolution granting Superintendent Dr. Mark Foust the ability to make the decisions about opening or closing schools, attendance policies, and compensation for faculty and staff, and the suspension of certain board policies during this emergency.
As more details come into focus about what this change will mean for the community, including students, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders, we will provide regular updates.
Text of Letter to Parents
Letter emailed to Parents March 19, 2020
Dear Kerrville ISD families,
With the declaration of a State of Disaster in Texas by Governor Greg Abbot on March 13,2020 and the World Health Organization designating COVID-19 as a pandemic, we understand that proactive measures are superior to reactive measures in terms of controlling the number of new cases.
Because of the rapidly evolving nature of this situation and out of an abundance of caution, Kerrville ISD is joining most other districts across the State to temporarily close schools.
Effective Monday, March 23,2020 all Kerrville ISD schools will be closed to help prevent exposure to students, staff and the community. Additionally, all extracurricular activities, practices and athletic events are suspended until further notice.
We will continue to monitor the latest information from our public health officials, but we cannot predict the duration of this closure at this time. We will strive to reopen as soon as it appears it is safe for our students, staff and community.
We do not make this decision lightly. I fully realize it presents significant difficulties to working parents who have young, school-aged children. But we are hopeful that these measures will better ensure the long-term health and safety of children, staff, and the larger community.
The district is finalizing plans to provide continuing education through virtual learning options for students. Significant information and guidance will be made available throughout the coming week; but our intent is to provide virtual learning resources to students beginning March 30, 2020.
Effective Monday, March 23, 2020 each campus will provide an opportunity for students (any student 18 and under) to pick up meals (breakfast and lunch) between 7am-9am and 11am-1pm. By Friday, March 20, 2020 our Child Nutrition Department will be announcing procedures for the distribution of food to address children’s nutritional needs while our district is closed.
Additionally, Kerrville ISD asks the broader community to take the following reasonable precautions to prevent the spread of the illness.
• Don’t shake hands and wash your hands regularly • Limit movement within the community, especially avoiding crowded places and maintaining 3 to 6 ft of distance between people (at least an arm’s length) • If you are moving around in the community, don’t congregate in large groups • For those who have traveled to areas with known COVID-19 we ask that you self-quarantine and monitor for symptoms. • If you suspect you have symptoms of COVID-19, call your health care provider for medical advice • Do not leave the house if you are ill, except to access medical care
As you know, this is a continuously-developing issue; we will remain in close communication with local and state health authorities and will provide regular updates to our community. Please check our website and social media outlets for frequent updates in the weeks to come.
Thank you for your support of Kerrville ISD schools and for your patience and cooperation as we make efforts to ensure that our KISD family and the entire Kerrville community stay safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Mark J. Foust
Superintendent, Kerrville ISD
