By Gary Long
Parents had until the end of the day last Friday (Sept. 11) to complete student commitment forms saying whether they want 100 percent distance learning or in-person instruction for their students for the second six weeks of school, which begins Sept. 28. District officials have said between 10 and 15 percent of parents are choosing the in-person option.
The schools would reopen in phases, with high school students needing to recover credit going on Sept. 23, followed on Sept. 28 by special education students and those without devices or internet access in grades pre-k through 2nd, 8th and 12th grades.
Similar such students in 3rd, 4th, 7th and 11th grades would be added on Oct. 5, with those in 5th, 6th, 9th and 10th grades joining them on Oct. 13.
“We’re going to be ready and we’re going to have a plan,” Superintendent Rene Gutierrez said at Thursday night’s BISD Board of Trustees meeting after recapping the situation facing the district: Most of BISD’s 43,000 students are able to participate in 100% distance learning via the internet but not all.
BISD is distributing Chromebook, laptop and iPad computers to all students, but there aren’t enough to go around. Deliveries are arriving, with some 6,000 iPads and 12,000 hotspot devices to connect to the internet arriving this past week.
“We’re going to be ready and we’re going to have a plan,” Superintendent Rene Gutierrez said at Thursday night’s BISD Board of Trustees meeting after recapping the situation facing the district: Most of BISD’s 43,000 students are able to participate in 100% distance learning via the internet but not all.BISD is distributing Chromebook, laptop and iPad computers to all students, but there aren’t enough to go around. Deliveries are arriving, with some 6,000 iPads and 12,000 hotspot devices to connect to the internet arriving this past week.
“We’re not the only ones. The whole country wants this,” Gutierrez said, adding that BISD had been proactive in getting the equipment. Other officials said BISD had gotten in line before some districts even knew there was a line.
(But during the meeting, teacher union reps complained that the administration had not heeded their concerns and pushed them to work without properly sanitizing facilities or providing effective Personal Protection Equipment.)
Meanwhile Abbott and the Texas Education Agency have been pushing districts to open for in-person instruction for students who can’t access online lessons.
“I thought, what if we presented a motion to the board to open the district for 100 percent distance learning for the whole first semester. … The answer was yes they will penalize us even if the board approves 100 percent distance learning,” the superintendent said.
Gutierrez, Board President Minerva Pena and other trustees said BISD is pushing for the online option but that the district needs to be ready if TEA forces its hand.
The board voted 6-0 to approve a motion asking Abbott to extend virtual distance learning for all BISD students and faculty for the entire 2020 fall semester.
31 comments:
Whats wrong with this idiota he don't like children? He's in the wrong profession. First he stopped half of brownsville children to participate in the children's charro days parade NOW THIS!!!
HE NEEDS TO GO BEFORE WE LOSE ALL THE CHILDREN FIRE THIS PENDEJO DO IT NOW!!
Gutierrez says, We are going to be ready!" He should already be ready. That is why the teachers have no confidence in him. He does not know what is going on since he puts the burden on his two deputy superintendents and when they put their thoughts together, it is the blind leading the blind and right behind them is Miss Know It All Minerva Pena and now, again, Sylvia Atkinson.
This board is all about micromanagement and self-serving projects and so I strongly support the Union leaders and members that are asking for his removal.
This is so much wrong info! Meet with administrators, already!
Camille Playhouse adapts, offers online
Tortillas are a dime each
Frijoles a la Charra 1.50 a cup
Aroz con queritos are 2.00 a plate
Do you think the gringos will buy anything?
If they don't sell any do you think they'll give it to the poor taxpayer???
There are parties, get togethers, restaurants are 50% full, Walmart and HEB are cranking. Yet you all want keep kids at home. Get your heads in order. Leave the kids out of your political rants.
Camille Playpen caters to the gringos and cocos like that idiota that sucks trump's ass all da time pinche pendejo
Who's gonna take cre of the teacher's kids?
THIS PENDEJO says, We are going to be ready!" He should already be ready.
WHAT A WASTE OF TIME,MONEY WITH THIS RENE Gutierrez and his two deputy superintendents.
We don't need them here in our school district.
We were doing very well with our AA doing the job,
We don't need three over paid clowns.
Miss Know It All Minerva Pena DO SOMETHING YOU ARE OUR BOARD PRESIDENT.
Riding out the Virus: Convention center’s bookings plummet amid pandemic who cares about kkk city in the rgv? NOBODY!
It now seems like eons ago when we puzzled over who is actually President Trump’s personal attorney (Rudy Giuliani or William Barr.) Barring (no pun intended) a sudden “notice of appearance” by Giuliani, it looks like the honor goes to Barr. In that scenario, it goes without saying that U.S. taxpayers get to shoulder costs of trials, depositions, expert witness and other fees, as well as appropriate dining expenses.
Yet, there is still further cause for concern by the American public which can be stated as: "What if the plaintiff prevails in her action and is awarded damages (including, potentially, punitive damages and attorney fees)? Are those monies paid by Uncle Sam?
To carry the analysis one step further, if the president counter-sues, does he recover the award (if any)? Would Barr get one-third or would it all go to said taxpayers? Uniquely, I see an even more precarious situation for Trump: In view of Barr’s straight-faced statement that he didn’t know whether the laws of North Carolina grant U.S. citizenship to someone who was born of U.S. parents, perhaps Trump should hang onto Giuliani’s cell number? Finally, if no judgment is reached before Nov. 3, does Trump get his postponement?
Los dos monigotes juntos - the pandemia is a hoax - open the schools - give them expried PPE. make some teachers go on campus, let the poor cafeteria workers suffer out in the hot or rainy weather to feed those lazy parents who start lining up at 10 in the morning to pick up lunch. Those 2 hours they spend block traffic in line for a lunch, could be spent at home cooking some arros con pollo, frijolitos, tortillas de harina, caldo de res, fideo con pollo or real food. But they still get the food stamps so they can buy their fajitas to BBQ during the week-end. Viejas, bola de arastadas!
How did you hire Gutierrez he can't even speak-it the English good.,and your paying him over $350,000 a year.
Want to go face to face do it, want to stay home do it. All we want is a choice.
We have killed some many businesses and jobs and people's livelihoods, this needs to stop
Senator Lucio had his letter read by the superintendent that was submitted to Governor Abbott regarding a waiver.
The letter is worthless as Lucio has voted with Abbott and Dan Patrick on most issues they have supported. Anyone who seriously believes the letter is worth the paper it's written on is sadly mistaken.
https://www.change.org/p/brownsville-isd-school-board-members-vote-of-no-confidence-for-dr-rene-gutierrez-as-brownsville-isd-superintendent
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS would love to have continued DISTANCE CONFUSION instead of a face-to-face learning environment...no students to deal with, no parents to deal with...they can stay in the teacher’s lounge eating sweet bread all day. You must remember, administrators are the least useful employee in the school house. They refuse to support teachers with classroom discipline; they will support a thug in the classroom before they will a seasoned educator, and are generally uncooperative when a real problem needs to be addressed. In the bigger cities such as Houston, up to 50% of the student population is REFUSING to log-in in the morning even though they have the necessary tools to do so. The children of today are LAZY and UNDISCIPLINED because that is what their parents are. We are witnessing the end of public schools as we once knew it.
Teacher's are already testing positive for covid 19 at Aiken elementry and at Benavides and BISD is keeping it on the down low what happens when our kids test positive and bring it home to their families1
School must not start until all disease is wiped from the face of the earth
September 15, 2020 at 10:16 PM
Does that include the pendejes disease?
@10:16 IDIOTA!!!
Hey Olive, tell your Tia that she must know what the definition of "desperate" is. She must of been Really "DESPERATE" when she hooked up with that loser of a husband. Old enough man to be her father. Your candidates aren't desperate at all.... your candidates are to busy running and taking care of their own campaign. No time to deal with petty things. I'm sure they are "adults" that don't need to stoop to that level. Didn't you say that you have matured? So prove it?
I’m curious as to when people will be ok with sending kids back to school in person. When daily reports are 0? Virtual learning has become a daunting task for many households where both parents are working and don’t have family members that are retired and willing/able to help. There are also many children living with elderly grandparents that don’t know English and/or are illiterate. We need to learn how to live with this, that includes wearing a mask, washing hands and staying home when you’re sick. Get rid of perfect attendance award so parents don’t continue to knowingly send their kids with temperatures of 104 just to get a bag of popcorn at the end of the school year. And closing the entire building to “disinfect,” really? Imagine if hospitals and clinics closed up every time an employee tested positive? Just send the infected person home, otherwise have universal masking policy at all places of employment. And just to clarify, I have been socially distancing and wearing a mask while at work/grocery shopping. Let’s get a grip people!
Its pendejetes not pendejes
BISD officials and teachers are not being transparent with parents. BISD is currently trying to get EVERY student with an electronic device and a hotspot so that there can be NO excuse to return to face-to-face instruction. It is ridiculous to be "waiting for a vaccine." That is not realistic. They cannot relate to our parent struggles. Parents are the ones over-working their butt off at home FOR FREE, while teachers are working from home GETTING PAID and they don't have to deal with the students and parents directly. BISD Administration is very lazy, using the excuse of COVID to NOT return to the classrooms!
Also, now you can take your kids to go play at Chuck E Cheese and Peter Piper, but you can't take them to school! How ridiculous is that!
I can't wait for their election so that I can vote AGAINST those BISD board members who are for 100% distance learning.
PARENTS NEED TO SPEAK UP AND PROTEST. If not, BISD is going to keep doing whatever THEY want whether or not you want your child to return to face-to-face instruction. This is very unfair for parents and students. They are hurting students' education. Students are NOT learning at home.
I am a parent who chose for my kids to return to face-to-face instruction on their Commitment Form for the 2nd 6 weeks (which would start October 5 for my 3rd Grade kids). However, I was then told that we did NOT qualify to return for face-to-face instruction because WE HAVE INTERNET and because we have been keeping up with all the online assignments! So now we have to wait until November 2 to return to face-to-face instruction, and that's not even a definite date because it says TO BE DETERMINED! What a coincidence too that their BISD election ends on November 3.
BISD tricked us. Where is the story on that?? BISD is lying to parents. They really mean this: As long as you have Internet and an electronic device, you can do distance learning whether or not you chose face-to-face instruction. It makes sense now that BISD is trying to get every student with a hotspot and a device so that they can continue to stay at home.
BISD is very corrupt and rigged. Now I am considering changing school districts to one that will be open for face-to-face instruction FOR ALL STUDENTS.
I am already okay with sending my kids back to school for face-to-face instruction. I just wish I HAD a choice! BISD keeps asking to extend their distance learning, which hopefully does NOT get approved. The superintendent seems very lazy to me. He says he has a plan, but his real plan is for schools to stay shut down. I can't wait for the election too, to vote all current board members OUT.
Teachers should work from the campus! Why do they need to be working from home??? Teachers are getting way too comfortable being at home and using COVID as an excuse not to work at the campus. I've already seen some teachers out eating inside restaurants! They are not "scared," like they say they are. TEACHERS NEED TO GO BACK TO THE CLASSROOM AND ACTUALLY WORK! Students are falling behind because of BISD's laziness.
I agree with the above comment that BISD teachers are not being transparent to parents. Maybe not ALL of their teachers, but for sure 3rd Grade Teacher Ms. Rosa Camacho from Sharp Elementary has already lied to me about having school-issued electronic devices, just so that she can continue to stay at home teaching. She is a young selfish teacher who cannot even speak English very well. All teachers really do need to go back to campus and teach from there, so that they can get used to it again and go back to traditional teaching. Unfortunately, all of this is only hurting the students.
This "distance learning" model is not working out for elementary students. They are being treated as if they were college students! The use of daily screen time is negatively impacting young students. These students are spending at least 5-6 hours a day listening to their teacher talk on Google Meet and THEN having to complete their online assignments on their own. Students are hurting their little eyes and backs, and the teacher lessons are NOT engaging at all. For example, MY kid's teacher just puts on YouTube videos to teach for her. It is NOT quality education. If only TEA would see this! Students are also missing out on socializing with other kids their age. It's very sad. I feel very bad for elementary students that are having to go through this just because BISD cannot open up their schools to everyone.
Parents should be the ones getting paid for helping their kids do all these online assignments that BISD is requiring to do. Parents, like myself, are receiving higher utility bills because of all the laptop charging and Internet usage every day in order to keep up with distance learning. It's not fair.
Teachers should not be getting paid so much right now for sitting at home, not even interacting with the students in-person, not having to deal with their discipline/behavioral issues. Again, it's not fair.
Parents, like myself, are also spending way more money on groceries each week to cook and feed their kids breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day (I do not have transportation to be going to my kid's school every day to pick up BISD meals). Again, it's not fair. PARENTS SHOULD BE GETTING PAID for working hard at this tedious and stressful task of doing everything that BISD wants us to do.
I agree that some teachers from Sharp Elementary have been very deceitful with their Commitment Form surveys and their hidden reasons for handing out electronic devices. They are trying to stay closed for as long as they can get away with it. Teachers should be working from campus, NOT home.
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