Canutillo ISD applied for a 9-week waiver to hold the current number of students receiving in-person instruction. It was granted for two weeks.
“Regardless of the decisions made in Washington and Austin, we planned ahead knowing this pandemic would challenge the learning environment for our students,” Superintendent Dr. Pedro Galaviz said.
“That’s why we invested over $6.8 million to launch Canutillo Connect to support successful remote instruction with universal internet connectivity and 1:1 with electronic devices for every student. We will continue to provide a high-quality education while taking the necessary actions to protect the health and safety of all community members – our highest priority.”
Canutillo ISD continues to work closely with TEA, all Region 19 districts, and health authorities using data to drive all reopening decisions.
The determining factor will be the county hospitalization rate.
On September 14, 2020, Canutillo ISD opened its doors to in-person instruction after meeting 3 guiding COVID-19 metrics: a 7-day rolling average cases per capita less than 25 cases per 100,000, a 14-day steady decline in the average of positive cases, and a testing positivity rate less than 7.5%. As of today, the average cases per capita has risen to 92.1 per 100,000, and the 7-day average positivity rate is 14.52%.
To counteract the rapid spread of the virus, the District extended its fall intersession through October 23 as recommended by the El Paso Department of Public Health and in collaboration with other area school districts.
Upon return from fall intercession on October 26, remote instruction will continue to be an option for all students and parents. Those who selected in-person instruction for the first 9-week grading period or have extenuating circumstances may attend in-person, though the District is encouraging parents to weigh the current pandemic data and consider remote learning if possible.
Teachers have been given the option to teach remotely or from the classroom to protect their safety, when they are not being rotated in to support in-person learning.
“Therefore, students attending in-person instruction at a campus will either receive in-classroom instruction with their teacher physically present, or receive instruction remotely from their teacher via learning pods,” CISD officials added.
