Education
BY ANGELA BONILLA
Bill could let CISD keep virtual school
Quotes of note
Conroe ISD could potentially continue its virtual school under Senate Bill 569, coauthored by state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, as it was approved March 4 by the Texas Senate Education Committee and moved to the House for further consideration. SB 569 would provide policy structure for virtual and hybrid instruction while repealing a number of current laws surrounding the process, per a news release from Bettencourt’s oce. According to the bill, it would not specically make an appropriation for virtual schools but could “provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.” Per the bill, students enrolled in a remote or hybrid dropout recovery program would be included in the calculation of a school district’s average daily attendance, which impacts school funding. A scal note on the bill also states that the Texas Education Agency would be required to provide grants and assistance to support the establishment of full-time hybrid or virtual campuses.
“We appreciate any legislation that will codify the funding so we can continue to invest in and expand this resource.”
Bill targets learning exibility Senate Bill 569 would:
Allow students to enroll in up to three individual virtual courses or specialized electives that may not be available at their local school Provide exibilities for work-based learning students Enable high school students to earn an associates degree Prevent school districts from requiring virtual enrollment Prevent requirements for in-person teachers to teach virtual classes without training Create standards and accountability measures for virtual education providers
SARAH BLAKELOCK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, CONROE ISD
“I have seen rsthand how virtual learning has transformed the lives of students who thrive outside of the traditional classroom.” NICOLE MAY, TRUSTEE, CONROE ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SOURCE: OFFICE OF SEN. PAUL BETTENCOURTCOMMUNITY IMPACT
website. Students log into their homeroom each morning for a check-in, then attend Zoom classes throughout the day, according to CISD. CISD ocials said the district awaits action from the state before it can renew the virtual school for 2025-26. As of press time, SB 569 had been received by the House and referred to its Public Education committee.
reported by Community Impact . The virtual campus for district students in fth through eighth grades began in the 2022-23 academic year. The virtual school was initially created by $1.5 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds. The virtual school oers fth through 10th grades for the 2024-25 school year, according to its
Stay tuned
CISD ocials at the board of trustees’ Feb. 9 meeting said the district’s virtual school, which launched in 2022, had an uncertain future as its funding will expire this year following a waiver signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023, as previously
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