World Scholars News

Dear STISD Family,

For the health and safety of students and staff amid the current COVID-19 conditions, South Texas Independent School District (STISD) will begin the 2020-2021 school year on Monday, August 17, delivering solely virtual instruction through the district’s Flexible Learning Initiative.

All six of our campuses used this method to provide instruction during the school closures in the spring, and the district has continued developing the initiative designed to deliver high-quality instruction to students from a distance. Additional professional development focused on virtual instruction is scheduled for administrators and faculty and staff leading up to the beginning of the school year.

As per the order issued by Dr. Ivan Melendez, Hidalgo County Local Health Authority, stipulating all public and private schools, from grades pre-kindergarten through grade 12, remain closed for in-campus instruction until after September 27, STISD will provide all instruction online during that time frame, pending any updates made by local authorities.

Prior to the order, STISD developed plans to offer three different instructional methods for students and parents to select from, including traditional (in-person), blended (combination of in-person and at home), and virtual (completely at home). Families could select the method that worked best for the individual family. The district will continue building out each of these methods to allow for possible transitioning to occur during the year.

On behalf of our administration and board of directors, I thank you for your support and for all that you and your family are doing to assist with our battle against COVID-19. Please know that the health and safety of our district community continues to be front and center in all that we do.

We will be in touch soon with additional details in regards to plans for the upcoming school year. Until then, I hope you and yours stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Marco Antonio Lara, Jr., Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Message from the STISD Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Marco Antonio Lara, Jr.

Plans for the 2020-2021 School Year: You choose the option that works best for you

Dear STISD Family,

I hope that you are having a pleasant summer break and that you are all remaining safe and healthy. I am sure that you are aware that the coronavirus has not come to an end. In fact, it is still very prevalent in our three-county area, as well as our state and nation.

Having said that, I want you to know that the safety of our district community members has been, and continues to be, of utmost importance in all of our planning for the new school year. This summer, your STISD leadership groups at the board, district and campus levels have been working together to develop several plans of action to welcome students back to a new school year in August that will address the conditions at that time.

Our school year will look very different in August compared to what you have been used to, so we have been preparing to offer all students options for learning. You can choose the traditional (in-person) option, the blended (in-person/at home) option, or the virtual option (completely at home). We want you to be in control of your learning and to be able to decide on the option that makes you and your family most comfortable.

Our Flexible Learning approach is designed to accommodate any of these methods, and I am proud to say that our teachers and campus leadership have been working hard to prepare for the new year by planning, training and preparing options for whatever the conditions are at that time. We will continue working to ensure the continuation of innovative and quality education safely to all of our students no matter the method selected.

We are preparing our facilities for the fall to be able to welcome back our district community members. You will receive additional information about our mandatory precautions and protocols as we move through the summer.

Remember that we are in a very fluid situation with the virus, and things change day-to-day. We are staying in tune with this, and are adjusting to whatever the conditions require.

A campus-specific survey will be launched in late July or August to prepare for classes to begin. Please stay connected with your campus and the district for updates, and revisit the board-approved academic calendar.

We look forward to welcoming you back.

Stay safe!

Sincerely,

Marco Antonio Lara, Jr., Ed.D.
STISD Superintendent of Schools

STISD will suspend its curbside meal pick-up from June 29 through July 17, 2020. During this time period, the district and campuses will be closed and will not be serving meals to the local communities.

The district will resume its grab-and-go meal distribution for children ages 18 years and younger on Monday, July 20. Beginning again on this day, the district will provide breakfast and lunch meals for pick-up by parents between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays only, at the four campus locations where meals are currently being served.

These meals are provided at no cost to the family, and children do not have to be enrolled within STISD to receive meals.

Curbside meal distribution locations include:

Edinburg: Gateway to the World Library parking lot- located between South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy and South Texas ISD World Scholars (510 S. Sugar Rd., Edinburg)

Mercedes: South Texas ISD Health Professions (100 Med High Drive, Mercedes) - loop between Health Professions and Science Academy

Olmito: South Texas ISD Medical Professions (10650 N Expressway 77/83, Olmito) - south side parking lot of the campus, first entrance off of the frontage road

San Benito: South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy (151 S. Helen Moore Rd., San Benito)- parking lot off of Paso Real, in front of cafeteria

To allow for the packaging of several days’ worth of meals, the district will serve meals that can be refrigerated and warmed up. Instructions for storing and reheating will be provided along with each meal.

For additional information, contact Oliver Galvan, Child Nutrition Director, at oliver.galvan@stisd.net or 956.514.4236.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.