NW Houston News

The Klein Independent School District opened its doors later than expected for the 2020-21 school year, but it is moving forward in these challenging times.

Classes began Sept. 8 instead of the scheduled start Aug. 19. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued an order in August, saying that due to the high rate of infections in the county, schools should delay their openings. COVID-19 cases in the county have declined sharply in the last few weeks.

In August, Superintendent Jenny McGown wrote a letter to Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health, and Dr. David Persse, health authority for the city of Houston, asking for guidance.

Dayna Hernandez | Twitter

McGown said the district had been making plans since April but needed to know the parameters.

“I think at this point we’re all very clear that responding to COVID-19 is not a sprint it’s a marathon,” she wrote. “One of the challenges we’re experiencing is that we’ve been running a marathon now and we still don’t have a clear finish line for what safe means.”

Klein ISD is a massive district, covering 87.5 square miles in northwest Harris County, including a small part of Houston. Most of the district is in unincorporated areas.

Dayna Hernandez, the associate superintendent of communications and public relations, said about 54% of students are in classrooms while 46% are learning remotely. The district has an enrollment of about 54,000 students.

“As a result of comprehensive preparations for health and safety protocols and continued strong instructional support for students, Klein ISD has reopened with excellence both on-campus and online,” Hernandez told NW Houston News.

“Klein ISD worked diligently to design and implement health and safety protocols that are strongly adhered to on our Klein ISD campuses and facilities,” she said. “Our students have been outstanding in complying with the health and safety protocols and they are excited to be back on campus. We follow all health and safety protocols to keep our students and staff safe.”

The district is requiring students and staff to wear masks at all times. Hand sanitizer is available across the district, along with other cleaning supplies. Everyone who comes to a school is asked to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before entering a building. No visitors are allowed.

Staff members disinfect areas during the day and the custodial staff does deep cleaning every night. Students still take part in outdoor recesses.

“Outdoor play and learning will be encouraged as public health conditions allow,” the district website states. “Students will be required to wash hands or use hand sanitizer upon re-entry to the building. Per Centers for Disease Control guidance, playground equipment will not be cleaned as part of the daily sanitizing protocol.”

McGown rose through the ranks to take charge of the district. She worked as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, executive director, chief learning officer and deputy superintendent before being named to the top job on July 1, 2019, becoming the first woman to serve as superintendent.

Her initial year as superintendent was interrupted by an unexpected challenge — the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the 2020-21 school started, McGown said the school district and community were pulling together.

“In the good times and when faced with challenges like a global pandemic, the Klein family always does what we do best – we take good care of one another,” she wrote in a letter to parents.

“In preparing for the new school year, we’ve taken the lessons we learned from our rapid response last spring and refined them to face the persisting challenges of the COVID-19 crisis,” McGown wrote. “We convened a reopening design team to plan for continuity of instruction and responsive district operations. We listened to the concerns and input of our families, employees and community members through surveys and listening sessions. We consulted with health and local officials.

“As a result of our planning, research, and stakeholder feedback, we have developed recommendations to reopen Klein ISD schools. Our plans include two learning options for the 2020-21 school year, Klein on-campus and Klein online. Regardless of the challenges we may face as a community and as a district, we are committed to the health and wellness of staff and students, excellent and equitable student learning experiences, and safe operations of all our facilities.”

McGown also offered a thank you to the first responders and health care workers “who have kept us safe by working on the frontlines of this pandemic,” to the reopening design team members for their efforts and to the “entire Klein family for your support and partnership as we navigate these unprecedented times together.”