MIDLAND, Texas — MISD Chief of Staff Katie Atkins believes that input from the MISD community is important due to the nature of the upcoming school year.
"We know that the fall is going to look very differently than what it has in the past. We need to know what the needs of our community, of our parents, and our teachers in particular are, and for that reason we have sent out a re-entry survey," Atkins said.
There are several items that the survey addresses, including the intersessional calendar. But one of the other big changes that could be coming is the option for students to opt into virtual learning.
"This would be a very different sort of situation where for students who want to continue in this pathway, we want to make sure we’re delivering that option. We also have to consider students whose parents or students themselves who might be concerned about returning back to school," Atkins said.
So far the survey has drawn in nearly 3300 responses, and the one thing that sticks out to Atkins is how honest these responses are.
"Right now I can tell from that the nature of their responses, people have been very honest and open and forthcoming and I think that really helps us," Atkins said.
However, MISD does want everyone to be aware that the results of this survey doesn't mean that those changes will come about this fall.
"I want to be clear that the survey is not a voting instrument. It’s an informative tool that we're using to make sure that we're putting in place some well-informed decisions that have community input," Atkins said.
The MISD school board will take a look at the results of this survey in their upcoming school board meetings to discuss further what the district should do moving forward. Families and teachers of MISD have until June 2 to submit their responses to the survey if they have not already done so.
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