From Mr. Flowers
July 6, 2020
First Day of School
OUR Relentless Pursuit To Get Better
HISD Parents/Guardians:
As we continue through the summer with "Slow or No" guidance from our state officials, I am reminded of a quote from William Arthur Ward, "the pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist hopes it changes, and the realist sets his sail." So with that being said, HISD is going to "weigh anchor." Many decisions have to be made, some are easy and some are hard, but when it's best for students and teachers, it's easy.
There has been pressure from TEA to start school earlier, however, with the instructional method "expectations" that will be required for remote learning, I believe there is a case to be made to start school later. Teachers are the number one most important factor to student academic success. HISD understands the need to give our teachers the time for organization, training, and support for the remote learning requirements.
I will be presenting to our Board an amended calendar to push the first student day back a week. Our first day with students will be Thursday, August 20th. This calendar change will allow five more staff development days for our Teachers to prepare for the school year. This calendar decision was made early to give parents and teachers time to plan. We appreciate your continued support.
We continue to plan with safety as our priority. I will keep you updated as I know more.
It's a great time to be a Red Devil.
Mr. Flowers