Schools prepare for school year, both virtual and in person

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Local schools are gearing up to start classes both virtually and face-to-face.

Snyder ISD will offer both online and in-person class options when classes begin on September 8.

Because Snyder offers rolling enrollment, there is no deadline to register students for either in-person or virtual classes.

Public Information Officer Valerie Morris said that Snyder ISD plans to have a three-week grace period at the beginning of school during which parents can switch their students between on-campus and remote learning if needed, but once the grace period expires, changes will only be made at the end of grading periods.

Jessica Bowlin, who has students at both Snyder Primary and Snyder Junior High schools, said that she plans to start the school year with her children learning virtually.

“I believe that the kids have already been through enough. I can’t see them going back and having to deal with everything that goes along with this COVID,” she said. “I will wait to send them back once things level out.”

Deven Rocchi, on the other hand, said that he will be sending his three primary school students back to campus, as his kids will be a bit behind and need extra help because of the craziness of the last semester. In addition, he said that he has seen a toll on his children’s mental health and believes that being able to socialize again will help with the depression brought on by quarantine.

For more information on SISD’s COVID-19 guidelines, visit www.snyderisd.net and click on the red banner labeled 2020-2021 On-Campus and Virtual School Options.

Hermleigh ISD will also offer online and in-person class options and has pushed its start date back to August 20.

Registration for online or in-person classes must be completed before the first day of school, and parents should be aware that whichever route they choose will be locked in for the first six weeks of class.

Hermleigh parent Keisha Dugan said that she plans to send her children to school because “isolation is not good for children’s mental and emotional health, in addition to the fact that single working parents are basically having to choose between educating their children and working to provide for them.”

Hermleigh ISD is offering online registration for new and returning students through their parent portals. New students will need to set up an account. Identification and proof of residency are required.

Ira ISD has opted to offer only in-person classes for the fall semester, which will begin on August 19. 

Principal Dale Jones said that when surveyed, 95 percent of parents wished to send their students to school in-person, so the decision was made to focus on face-to-face learning. 

Classes will be formatted in such a way that they can be easily moved to virtual learning in the event of another shutdown.

Ira parent Cindy Hughes said that she is glad that her children will at least be able to start the year at school, feeling they will be better informed, even if they aren’t able to go back for long.

Ira ISD will hold new student registration at the school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. until August 11.  Identification and proof of residency are required. 

Registration for returning students will be online through the parent portal that they already have set up.

Snyder Christian School also is not offering a virtual option, but Principal Jennifer Jaynes said the school board will look at alternative options at a meeting Thursday. Classes are scheduled to start on August 14.

Western Texas College will begin the fall semester August 12, offering online and in-person classes to its students.