ATTENTION PARENTS-IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE 20-21 SCHOOL YEAR!

Posted Date: 07/16/2020

Letter from your Superintendent-

Parents, I realize that you all have many questions as we look toward the 2020-2021 school year. I don’t have all the answers, but I am writing this letter to inform you about what we do know at this point. Please understand, this could change at any time. According to guidelines presented by the Commissioner on Tuesday, July 7th, we will have face-to-face instruction in the fall. Based on current information and the survey responses in our community this spring, we will not be adjusting our school calendar for next year. That means, at this point, students will start school on August 19, 2020. The 2020-2021 school calendar can be found on the website at www.martinsmillisd.net. The Martin’s Mill Independent School District believes that face-to-face instruction is the best instructional delivery method for our students. You simply cannot replicate a classroom environment. However, we also realize that sending students back to school next year will have certain risks even with a multitude of safety measures in place. That is why the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will allow students to choose a remote learning option for next year. This option will be offered to all students, but it will absolutely require more independent student learning and parental support. Most students experienced lower grades with remote learning during the last nine weeks of school. We will not ask parents to make a choice on the type of instruction they would like for their student(s) until the week of August 3-7th, 2020. This should help parents make decisions based on better information than what is available right now. We will have more specifics regarding the remote learning option in the future, but I can tell you that it will require students to be engaged and submit work daily. Also, students that choose the remote learning option will be required to stay in this delivery method for the 9-week grading period. The students choosing this option will not be allowed to participate in athletic periods and extracurricular activities that would expose them to the same risks present in the school. UIL also released information last week stating that their calendar has not been changed for the upcoming school year. At this time, they are also expecting to follow the same timelines that were established for extracurricular activities last year. Again, that could change before school starts. As a reminder, only students that have not participated in Junior High or High School sports need to get a physical to participate next school year. Parents should also expect short-term closures next year. In the event that the school has a positive COVID-19 case, it is likely that the we will be temporarily closed to quarantine students/staff and sanitize our facilities. In the event this occurs, remote learning will start for all students immediately. It is also important to remember that school districts will follow all Executive Orders issued by the Governor. If school were in session right now, all students age 10 and above would be required to wear masks as well as all staff members. I hope this answers some of your questions. If you have other questions, please contact the school from 7:30 am - 4:30 pm Monday through Thursday. We would be happy to answer any other questions you may have that are not addressed in this letter. We greatly appreciate your support and cooperation. James Oliver, Superintendent Martin’s Mill ISD
MARTIN’S MILL INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
301 FM 1861 Martin’s Mill, Texas 75754
James Oliver - Superintendent (903) 479-3872
Audra Latimer - Secondary Principal (903) 479-3234
Suzzette Stringer - Elementary Principal (903) 479-3706
Michele Butcher - Business Manager (903) 479-3872
Casey Monds – Special Education Director (903) 479-3872