Dear Team HISD:

With the federal government extending social distancing guidelines through the end of April, the Houston Independent School District will remain closed, providing online instruction until further notice.

In addition to the federal guidelines, this decision comes in response to the new executive order by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday to close all Texas schools until May 4. During this time, we will continue remote learning.

As a district, community, and nation, we find ourselves dealing with an ever-changing challenge. We’ve been called upon to “stay home, work safe” and practice social distancing to flatten the curve of COVID-19. This hasn’t been easy, but we are staying the course.

Until traditional classroom instruction resumes, the district today has launched HISD @ H.O.M.E. (Home-based Online Mobile Education), a distance learning plan to ensure students’ academic and non-academic needs are met as the district remains closed due to COVID-19 precautions. By now, all parents should have heard from their school with detailed instructions. If not, parents should leave a message on the school’s voicemail with their name, phone number, child’s name, and teacher name (elementary school parents).

HISD @ H.O.M.E. (Home-based Online Mobile Education) is designed to maintain productive instruction for students using computers, laptops, tablets, iPads or smartphones. Students and parents can access the site on their school’s main landing page by clicking on the HISD @ H.O.M.E. icon or by visiting the site at: HoustonISD.org/HOME. Campuses also have been instructed to provide paper-based curriculum resources to provide to families without access to technology.

Also launching this week to support distance learning is HISD @ H.O.M.E. TV, which will provide educational programming that includes lessons from teachers and teacher development specialists in several subject areas, including math, science, reading and writing, social studies, and fine arts.

Segments will be in English and Spanish and will broadcast on HISD-TV (Comcast Channel 18 and Uverse Channel 99), as well as online via HoustonISD.org/LiveTV. Click on the graphic at right for a full schedule of lessons for this week.

Click here to view schedule

The district is exploring options to resume operations of food distribution sites for our families in partnership with the Houston Food Bank. Once details are finalized, we will send out that information.

On a final note, the 2020 Census is in full swing, and the Houston Independent School District needs the participation of every HISD household to ensure the district receives the federal funding it needs to serve all students.

The 2020 Census is a snapshot taken by the federal government every 10 years of all people who live in the United States and its five territories. The survey will ask how many people are living in a household, as well as their age, sex, and race. The 2020 Census does not ask about citizenship.

Census data guides how more than $675 billion in federal funding is distributed to states and communities each year for schools, health care facilities, roads, transportation, recreation centers, social services, and more.

In mid-March, homes across the country began receiving invitations in the mail to complete the 2020 Census. Responses can be completed in 13 different languages and submitted online, by phone, or by mail. Responses to the census are safe and secure. Learn more about filling out the survey at 2020CENSUS.gov.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we transition into a new era of instruction for our students. We want to ensure that you feel supported and empowered, and we pledge to continually look for innovative ways to meet every child’s educational needs.

Sincerely,