The Killeen Independent School District board of trustees will officially vote on doing away with the districtâs online coronavirus tracking dashboard, mandatory face masks, and the potential for virtual learning â part of the districtâs revised public health guide â during Tuesdayâs upcoming board meeting.
During the district’s daytime workshop meeting May 18, Superintendent John Craft laid out the reasoning behind getting rid of the online coronavirus dashboard which keeps track of weekly positive cases of coronavirus at each KISD school as well as the total number of positive cases to date since March 2020. View the dashboard here: www.killeenisd.org/dashboard.
As the Killeen Independent School District continues to grow, the school board and district administration are faced with the task of ensuring the districtâs facilities keep up with the projected population increase.
Tuesday the Killeen ISD board of trustees met to compare transportation options to keep pace with the growing needs of the district.
Killeen Independent School District school buses depart the bus depot located off Atkinson Avenue in Killeen on Friday, March 28.By Lauren Dodd | Herald staff writer
The existing Main Transportation Facility, at 2301 Atkinson Ave., is at capacity, according to the district, with a total of 240 buses parked at the site. On the south side of town, the Sheridan Transportation Facility, located at 9132 Trimmier Road, is also at capacity, according to the district, with 110 buses parked at that location.
The Killeen Educators Association, which represents teachers and other employees in Killeen ISD, is celebrating the continued access to personal protective equipment, or PPE, when they return in the fall.
In September 2020, the Texas State Teachers Association filed a grievance on behalf of KEA against KISD. The grievance cited teachers and paraprofessional members have been forced to work in an unsafe environment during the coronavirus pandemic.
Though the district will not be allowed to require face masks going into the 2021-2022 school year and virtual learning will not be an option, teachers will have increased access to personal protective equipment, such as air filters or desk shields.
In-person classes will be the only option provided by Killeen ISD for students this upcoming school year.
âFrom an economy of scale standpoint, I just donât think weâre going to be able to provide the virtual learning platform without really disrupting the face-to-face environment as a modality of instruction,â Craft said during Tuesdayâs workshop meeting.
During a registration drive in March, the district gauged interest in virtual learning for the 2021-2022 school year. The district received 855 requests for virtual learning out of the 18,000 students eligible to participate in the virtual platform, Craft said.
For those parents still looking for a virtual learning option, Craft suggested they look into the Texas Education Agencyâs virtual platform: Texas Virtual School Network.
Some parents with Killeen ISD want to stick with virtual learning in the fall
and last updated 2021-05-18 19:36:56-04
KILLEEN, TX â Some parents and students in Killeen say they want to stick with virtual learning in the fall and that s something the district is looking into.
Killeen ISD conducted a survey that showed just over 850 families say they want to stay on some kind of virtual learning platform It is a small number that raised several questions in Tuesdayâs workshop meeting.
âIt really looked at why we need to examine the modality of instruction. Look at if virtual learning as a whole is something that Killeen ISD wants to buy into and provide for our families and, if it is feasible and sustainable for the entire school year,â said Taina Maya, Chief Communications Officer for KISD.