KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
April 17, 2021
By Natalie Cook Clark
Katy ISD superintendent addressed the year’s success and announced the return to a post-pandemic learning style this Fall in a statement sent to District parents and staff. This includes the official announcement of no Katy Virtual School option or mask requirements in schools for the 2021-2022 school year.
Face coverings no longer required for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Katy ISD Looks to the Fall
“As we begin preparations for the fall semester, an end to the pandemic is finally in sight,” says Katy ISD Superintendent Ken Gregorski. “TEA’s 2020-2021 public health guidance for school districts expires at the close of the academic year. With the expiration of the TEA guidance, Katy ISD will return to completely normal operations on June 1.”
In the statement, Gregorski outlines that:
Students and staff won’t be required to wear face coverings
Daily COVID-19 notifications will end
No Katy Virtual Academy option
Volunteers will be allowed back in the schools
Katy Parents React
The District has 5 and a half weeks left of the school year and some parents feel that it’s too soon to announce Fall plans regarding the pandemic.
“It’s entirely too soon for any of us to predict how anything in this world will look by Fall,” says a Katy mom on social media. “My family will continue to exercise caution.”
The announcement of the end of KVA, was expected. Students participating in this learning model have already been told the option would cease next school year, yet many parents expressed displeasure over the announcement considering that protocols wouldn’t be in place to protect those with underlying conditions when they return to in-person learning.
“He’s not saying screw KVA,” says a Katy parent. “If parents feel they need to continue with virtual school, there’s options for that but the district shouldn’t be required to offer that due to the fact that an overwhelming majority of kids are on campus.”
Currently the District of over 84,000 students has 223 active COVID cases according to their COVID-19 Dashboard.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, cases are again on the rise in Texas.
Texas Health Officials Share Rising Case Numbers
Texas averaged 2,310 new cases a day and 60 fatalities per day. The report was issued on April 14.
TEA states on their website that they continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 outbreak. While their recommendations for this academic year do expire with the end of academic year, they can still set new recommendations for the Fall based on their monitoring of the pandemic.
Congratulations on a Successful Year
Gregorski took time to congratulate the District on a successful year despite the challenges it endured.
“Our teachers and staff provided extraordinary in-person and virtual learning experiences for all students when many schools across the nation could not,” says Gregorski. “Our students participated in all campus programs including athletics, fine arts, and FFA. We continued to be rated as an A+ district by Niche, and Forbes ranked the district as the 2nd best employer in Texas.”
Graduations to be Held In-Person, Full Capacity
He pointed out that the District will end the year with in-person graduations at Legacy Stadium at 100% capacity.
“I want to share how proud I am of the work of our exceptional staff and parents,” says Gregorski. “I feel humbled by the commitment, flexibility and strength you have demonstrated on our campuses, outside of school, and at home in ensuring our students continued to have access to the educational experiences and supports needed at a time of great adversity.”