Denton ISD middle schools to resume full-time in-person instruction

Beginning Monday, Sept. 21, Denton ISD middle school students who selected face-to-face instruction will be allowed to return to their campuses full-time each day, while high school students will continue on a hybrid schedule.

“After four days of hybrid face-to-face instruction, students and staff have a better understanding of safety protocols, and by September 21, they will have nine days of a routine,” said Dr. Jamie Wilson, superintendent of schools. “This campus return is made possible because approximately 40%of our families are committed to ConnectedLearning and those families remain diligent in practicing good hygiene, maintaining physical distance, wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings.”

Based on enrollment and student scheduling, in-person class sizes will remain small on average, according to a news release from Denton ISD. District enrollment, after the first three weeks, shows that 60% of the district’s families preferred and registered for face-to-face instruction.

The latest data from Denton County Health Services reports that test-confirmed cases continue to lessen in the county and surrounding communities. Based on the established protocols, the district will continue to mitigate COVID-19 transmission by working with local health experts to determine the need for individual, group, class or school quarantine.

“By bringing our middle school students physically back to campus sooner rather than later, we can strengthen relationships with our teachers and students to focus on fewer instructional delivery methods and changing schedules,” said Dr. Wilson. “Students and staff have done an excellent job during the first four days of the hybrid schedule and we thank them for making great decisions on behalf of our students.”

When Denton ISD returned to in-person learning on Sept. 8, middle and high schools were operating on a hybrid learning model in an attempt to reduce student capacity in schools. Half the students who selected face-to-face instruction were scheduled to attend school Mondays, Wednesdays and every other Friday, while the other group were attending school on Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other Friday. On the days in which they were not at school, the students were learning remotely.