CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS — Tuloso Midway ISD had planned to start school July 15th but pushed back school to August 3rd. This extra time gave the school district utilized the extra time as an advantage to plan and prepare for the school year.
The school used the late start to make sure teachers and staff were prepared to teach in a virtual setting.
"We worked very hard to make sure that teachers where very efficient with Google classroom, we made sure that they had all the tools that they needed. We made certain that our day was scheduled so that students were receiving quality instruction,” said Tuloso-Midway ISD Interim Superintendent Melodie McClarren.
McClarren also said one obstacle the district faced was 200 devices and hot spots were not enough.
"That's because the entire nation is undergoing what we are and they are attempting to get these devices and there are none to be had. Even if you can place an order, in many cases you are looking at December or January before you are going to receive those,” said McClarren.
To ensure students are able to learn virtually, the technology department did everything it could to find more devices.
“We were able to locate more devices and we anticipate those to be in, no later than mid-September,” said McClarren.
In the meantime, the school district has been communicating with parents that do not have a device for alternative solutions until more arrive.
"We did tell parents that if you have not received a device yet, please use your phone or let your child use their phone to get in touch with their teachers so that they can work with them on their assignments and get the adequate help that they need in order to be successful, and so far it has worked very well,” said McClarren.
McCLarren also mentioned that because teachers are being flexible and parents and students are being understanding, It’s helped with the process.
"So I think just giving everybody grace through all of this, is what is making it successful for us,” said McClarren.
Next week, Tuloso Midway ISD will begin reaching out to parents via survey and phone to find out how many plan to send their child to in-person learning. That number will determine how the district will run their classrooms and continue virtual learning.
