Friendswood ISD kicked off the 2020-2021 school year on Monday, Aug. 31 with 6,121 students enrolled across the District, 1,548 of which opted for virtual learning for the first nine weeks. While some students signed on to their computers to do a virtual meet and greet with their new teachers, pre-k and Special Education students showed up for in-person learning. Later in the day, Friendswood High School opened its doors to freshmen who opted for in-person learning in order to complete a half-day of freshmen orientation.
Though this school year is altered in many ways due to the effects of COVID-19, FISD Superintendent Thad Roher said there is still much that has remained unchanged.
“So many things make this school year so very different, but what is the same is the love of the children by our staff,” Roher said. “It does not matter if they are on the screen or virtual, we are so excited to have our ‘why’ back in front of us.”
The District continued to transition students back into classrooms by staggering the return of in-person students across Sept. 1 and 2. This allowed both students and staff to have time to learn the new safety/health protocols without getting overwhelmed.
“There were so many new protocols and changes, so we needed to phase in slowly to allow teachers to experience these things with smaller numbers of students.” Roher said. “As I have walked the campuses the last two days, I can see that this was a great decision and something that was needed.”
As students and staff adjust to everything that is new this school year, Roher had advice to give them.
“Be patient; this is a marathon, not a sprint,” Roher stated. “There are difficult days ahead but find the good in each day and all will be well. We just need to have grace, space and understanding for each other.” The District will continue to adapt its health and safety procedures in accordance with TEA and CDC guidelines. To view the District’s reopening plan, please visit myfisd.com/reopening-2020/.