South Brazoria News

The Bryan Independent School District’s motto is simple and direct: Children first. Always.

That is especially true this fall as the district resumes classes following an early end to classes in the spring as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through Texas. The district's first day of classes was Aug. 20 and Superintendent Christie Whitbeck said all is well so far.

"Bryan ISD is experiencing a very strong start to the school year,” Whitbeck told South Brazoria News. “All of the planning in the spring and summer is paying off, with personal protective equipment at all of our campuses, students and staff wearing masks, regular sanitization of our buildings, and everyone paying close attention to social distancing, hand-washing, and other best health practices. Most important, whether in school on-campus or at-home, our students are excited, they're engaged and they're learning, and that confirms why we do what we do.”

Matthew LeBlanc | Bryan ISD

Whitbeck, in her fourth year as Bryan’s superintendent, has been an educator for three decades. The district had an enrollment of 15,906 during the 2018-19 school year. It has 14 elementary schools, two intermediate schools, two middle schools and four high schools.

Matthew LeBlanc, the district’s executive director of communications and public affairs, said 60% of 7th- through 12th-grade students are learning on-campus, 33% are studying at-home, and 7% are in a hybrid situation. Parents are allowed to change after six weeks, and the district will return to 100% remote learning if needed.

While it is adhering to advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the district is working with local and state health agencies to try to follow all guidelines and keep people safe.

Several precautionary measures and plans have been put in place to ensure the safety of the students and staff in school settings. Masks or face shields are required for all staff and students in grades 3-12. Younger students are trained in face coverings and encouraged to wear them.

The district has placed hand-washing stations in numerous locations and set times for students to wash their hands and use sanitizer. Everyone entering a school building or vehicle is asked to self-screen for any indication of COVID-19. Student movement through buildings has been reduced as well and outside trips have been canceled.

“PPE including sneeze guards, plexiglass dividers, masks, hand sanitizers, social distancing markers in the halls and cafeterias, disinfecting wipes are placed in each classroom and throughout the campuses,” LeBlanc told South Brazoria News. “Teachers have a bottle of disinfecting spray to use on desks between classes. Custodians disinfect each campus daily, and on Wednesdays do additional disinfecting with an electrostatic sprayer.”

The students who are learning from home are doing well, he said.

“They're adjusting well. Bryan ISD ensured that every student who needed a laptop for at-home learning received one [more than 4,000 were handed out — more than 6,000 in the spring], and we've worked with parents on internet connectivity, though we found most parents were already connected,” he said. “It's been a large adjustment for teachers to teach both on-campus and at-home through Schoology, but they're adjusting and are encouraged by the large at-home student participation.”

Schoology, a virtual learning program, is provided free to Texas school districts by the Texas Education Agency.

The school unveiled the back-to-school plan at its July 20 meeting and a letter was sent to parents in August.

LeBlanc said students, staff and parents are showing great resilience and resolve.

“The response has been wonderful,” he said. “Students and parents are excited to be back in school, and parents of our at-home learners have done a wonderful job working with their children to complete assignments and speak with their teacher. It's very special when the time allows the at-home learner to join their on-campus class live, online through Schoology, and they're all learning together at the same time.”