Skip to main content
DistrictCampus
CAMPUS

Back To School Plan

FAQs

Yes, transportation will continue to be provided for all who qualify. Parents are encouraged to provide their own transportation if/when possible to help limit the number of students on buses.

To support contact tracing, students will be assigned seats, and a seating chart will be maintained by the bus driver. The bus driver and students will be required to wear face coverings and use hand sanitizer provided when boarding and exiting the bus. Pampa ISD will comply with all health and safety recommendations established by the Governor, the health department, and the Texas Education Agency. School buses will be cleaned and disinfected twice daily following each route. Safety and health measures may be adjusted based on current guidelines and conditions.

Signage reminding students and staff about Physical Distancing, handwashing, and infection prevention will be posted throughout the school.  Elementary classrooms will be assigned to specific restrooms, provided scheduled times for students for breakfast, lunch, and gym access to reduce the number of students in any given area as much as possible.  Secondary students will be encouraged to follow physical distancing guidelines.

Safety guidelines are being developed for conducting all on-campus workouts, rehearsals, and practices. The district will continue to follow all guidelines provided by UIL, TEA, and the state. These safety guidelines will be published as soon as they become available. 

Students taking Dual Credit courses at Clarendon College will be required to follow the Clarendon College guidelines while on the PISD campus.  All Dual Credit courses are offered online through Clarendon College Pampa Center.  Students connect to Dual Credit courses while at Pampa High School.  They do not travel to Clarendon College Pampa Center.

We understand how important this is to the students and to their development.  We will follow safety guidelines when possible while also recognizing the need for play and social interaction.  Elementary campuses will limit the number of students at recess at one time and may create different play areas for activities to further reduce student interactions. Students and staff will be required to wash their hands and use sanitizer before and after recess and use hand sanitizer.  We will also clean and disinfect recess equipment regularly throughout the day.

Yes, students who select Virtual Learning or In-Person Learning may participate in clubs and/or organizations when available. Some club meetings may be held virtually, as applicable. Students must have their own transportation to and from campus. Each extracurricular sponsor will share expectations for both in-person and virtual students at the beginning of school.

Students or staff who test positive for COVID-19 will be sent home to recover. When notification of a possible exposure occurs, in coordination with local health authorities, the campus/district will investigate who may have had “close contact (opens external link in new window)” with the student. Based on the results, a determination will be made as to whether an entire classroom or multiple classrooms are required to quarantine. In the event students are required to temporarily quarantine, the education of these students will continue through Virtual Learning for the duration of the quarantine period.

During the period of the school closure, students will remain at home and will engage in learning activities that are primarily delivered through Canvas, the District’s Learning Management System. Teacher-led instruction and peer collaboration will be scheduled throughout the day to expand students’ opportunities to engage with content and interact with teachers and classmates. Daily student participation in the learning activities will be required. Instructional time will also be dedicated for independent learning activities. A structured schedule will be provided to students indicating required times for participation when appropriate.

Yes.  All students will have an iPad (PreK - 1) or Chromebook (Grades 2-12) checked out to them. Wifi hotspots are available at various locations throughout Pampa. Students will be responsible for repair costs due to negligence or mistreatment of the device along with the replacement costs of lost or stolen devices.  Private devices will not be allowed on the school network due to cybersecurity and internet safety filtering restrictions.

To support all students, the district curriculum will highlight academic standards that teachers will consider as they plan to address the potential learning impacts resulting from the school closure. Teachers will use formative assessments and supplemental resources to personalize student learning to address areas of need.

Overall progress on learning outcomes will be communicated in a “traditional” format in alignment with Board Policy EIA Local and Guidelines for Grading.  Assignments and grades will be entered into our system that is now called Ascendor. The expectations for coursework and guidelines for grading for In-Person Learning and Virtual Learning will be the same.

Yes. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has indicated that STAAR testing will still occur during the 2020-2021 school year, in compliance with state and federal legislation.

Switching between virtual and face-to-face instruction will be allowed at the beginning of a 6 week grading period. The parent/guardian must initiate the process two weeks prior to the beginning of the grading period. An exception to this is students who must stay home due to illness or quarantine according to the district’s health screening guidelines.

Parents/guardians will select “In Person” or “Virtual” enrollment  prior to the start of school through an online survey that will be published along with guidelines Aug 3-7, 2020.  Links to registration will be found on the Pampa ISD website.

Yes, Latchkey will be available to families who are participating in In-Person Learning at the Austin, Lamar and Travis Elementary campuses.  Email graycountylatchkey@gmail.com for more info.

Students who select Virtual Learning will be required to virtually attend and participate in class daily. Virtual Learning this year will include a full course load of instruction and assignments that is the same as what students who are attending school In-Person will be required to complete. In addition, grading procedures will be the same as In-Person learning. All teachers will be delivering instruction through the LMS and will receive additional training and support in best practices that are effective in a remote, online environment. 

Yes, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will require daily attendance and participation in Virtual Learning.  Students will be required to participate in virtual classes daily and traditional attendance rules will be enforced.  A student will be considered absent if the student does not engage in the designated live instruction and/or independent learning activities each day.  TEC 25.092 Students must attend at least 90% of the days a course is offered in order to be awarded credit for the course and/or to be promoted to the next grade.  The requirement remains in force during the 2020-2021 school year.

Students will be provided with some instructional materials that will vary based on the grade level and coursework of the student. Most resources may be provided digitally. The design of classroom instruction will account for student’s access to specific instructional materials in the home.

Yes. Families will need to purchase typical school supplies.  Students who are participating in Virtual Learning will need to purchase the necessary listed supplies from the grade level supply list in order to complete their assignments at home.  We do not recommend purchasing technology for your student.  Private devices will not be allowed on the school network due to cyber security and safety filtering restrictions. 

Courses taken by students participating in Virtual Learning will be included in calculating GPA and class rank in accordance with EIC (Local) policy.

Most courses will be offered virtually through Virtual Learning except for those courses that are unable to be conducted online.  A list of these courses will be available in August.

No. Based on the course requirements, there are some specialized courses that will not be available in Virtual Learning (see specialized course list below). For these courses, the student will have the option to attend the class on-campus or choose to have their schedule changed in order to remain in a fully remote environment. In addition, there are some specialized courses that are offered in Virtual Learning but may require in-person laboratory learning experiences based on specific course learning outcomes regarding equipment, software, and technology. The list below outlines which courses are available to remote learners on-campus only and which will require students to come to campus to demonstrate certain skills.

 

**Virtual/Face-to-Face for Electives (opens external link in new window)

 

Transportation for Virtual Learners attending on-campus courses will not be provided, except as documented through IEP paperwork in order for students to have access to their Special Education services.

Yes, students who select Virtual Learning may participate in UIL events/courses if they meet all UIL requirements, are enrolled in the applicable course section, and are able to attend on-campus practices and competitions. Students must have their own transportation to and from the campus. Expectations for Virtual participation will be shared with students and parents at the beginning of school.

Virtual learners will have access to meals.  Students/parents will need to contact the campus each day to order and will be required to pick up their meal curbside at their campus.  Campus menus will be posted on the school website as well as through REMIND.

Yes, at this time the Texas Department of State Health Services has not waived the vaccine requirements for students.

Yes, parents and students may contact the school nurse by phone or e-mail during school hours. Students who are learning in person will have access through the campus nurse for primary medical care via our telemedicine program. Please contact your campus nurse for information regarding this program.

Due to the scheduling complexities inherent in these two options, parents will be asked to make a commitment for a full grading period. Switching between Virtual and In-Person instruction will be allowed at the beginning of a 6 week grading period. The parent/guardian must initiate the process two weeks prior to the beginning of the grading period. An exception to this is students who must stay home due to illness or quarantine according to the district’s health screening guidelines.

Yes. Resources will be available for parents to learn how to support students in navigating learning through these digital tools. These resources will be available in August during parent orientation sessions at each campus.

Yes. More information will be available at a later date and provided to the parents/guardians of those students

Yes, all students in Pampa ISD will have the opportunity to choose In-Person Learning or Virtual Learning.  All student accommodations will be provided whether a student attends virtually or in person.  Virtual accommodations may be different than In-Person and those will be discussed through the normal ARD process.

ARD and 504 meetings will be scheduled on a case-by-case basis. For students served in Special Education, the schedule of instructional and related services should be accurately documented in the ARD/IEP to reflect the support and services the student requires for FAPE. A parent/guardian may request an ARD or 504 meetings at any time. 

Contact your campus to request a meeting to discuss your concerns.  An evaluation may be requested at any time.

If your student requires an initial or re-evaluation, the parent/guardian will be contacted to discuss the evaluation and determine components that can be completed virtually versus those components that require In-Person interaction.  Appointments with evaluation staff will be scheduled at the campus to complete face-to-face components.

The primary communication tool will be Remind district-wide, but Dojo may still be used for the
behavior component.

Yes, school supplies will be needed whether students are attending virtually or in person.

High School: 8:00-4:00
Junior High: 7:55-3:55
All Elementary Campuses: 7:45-3:50

Yes, students may bring their own hand sanitizer. It will also be readily available at school for all
students.

Students/parents will need to contact the campus each day to order and will be required to pick up their meal curb-side at their campus.

Staff will work to maintain physical distancing during dismissal.  In addition, anytime students are in hallways, they will wear face coverings.  Dismissal plans may also be different than last year to allow for multiple entrances and exits.  Any changes to dismissal locations will be communicated by each campus.

All students will wear face coverings in hallways, bathrooms, and other common areas to limit the spread of germs.  Special circumstances will be addressed individually at each campus.

All students will wear face coverings in hallways, bathrooms when moving about the classroom, and other common areas to limit the spread of germs.  When students are sitting at their desks with appropriate spacing, teachers will allow students to remove their face coverings.  Special circumstances will be addressed individually at each campus.

The high school will continue to have an open campus for lunch at this point.

There is added flexibility in how attendance will work this year.  If a student is not feeling well, he/she will be able to attend asynchronously for the duration of the illness.  To be counted present, students must meet PAVE guidelines for each day absent.

Back To School Plan Navigation