Nortex Times

Two Texas school districts are returning to in-person learning so students can get back to learning and succeed in the classroom.

Texoma's Homepage reports that Holliday Independent School District and City View Independent School District made the decision last month.

City View went to complete in-person learning in October, while Holliday will be shifting to in-person learning in January. Students who have tested positive for COVID-19 or are classified as high-risk will continue using virtual learning in both districts.

“Some of the students were having issues keeping up with work,” Holliday ISD Superintendent Cody Carroll said in the Texoma article. “We had some with attendance issues, we had some students that were doing real well. But the bottom line is this was never meant to be a long-term solution to the issue.”

City View ISD Superintendent Tony Bushong said his district is struggling with students not passing classes via virtual learning.

“We were struggling with the kids passing, that was the whole reason. When we looked at it and we said ‘OK. 53% of those kids that are online are failing, at the elementary [school] it was 70%.’ We were gonna end up having to hold these kids back,” Bushong said.

Bushong told the Texoma that students have improved since returning to in-person learning.

“Kids are getting in a rhythm, they’re coming to school, they’re doing their work. We really feel like we’re headed in a great direction and I could not have told you that with distance learning in October,” Bushong said.

Carroll told the Texoma that his district would reach out to parents of students currently in remote learning to discuss the plan. He said the best place for students was in the classroom, but that they would continue remote learning for certain cases.