Pending approval by TEA and the school board, Canutillo ISD will submit an additional transition waiver request to the Texas Education Agency to hold the current number of students receiving in person instruction
Working closely with the El Paso Department of Public Health and other area school districts, the Canutillo Independent School District continues to carefully monitor the health of our community while following guidance and directives from the Texas Education Agency regarding the opening of schools. With the recent rise in cases and continued community spread of COVID-19 in El Paso, Canutillo ISD is taking proactive action and further measures to keep the school community safe.
Pending approval by TEA and the school board, Canutillo ISD will submit an additional transition waiver request to the Texas Education Agency to hold the current number of students receiving in person instruction. If the local community health improves to levels established in partnership with the El Paso Department of Public Health and local school districts during this time period, schools will reopen to serve additional students who wish to return to campus at an earlier date.
“From the beginning, we have recognized that the district is confronted by a very fluid and dynamic health crisis. As Dr. Fauci offers, ‘You don’t make the timeline, the virus makes the timeline.’ We must have the agility to make quick changes to our plans in view of the level of community spread at any given time. We make these decisions with the safety of students and staff foremost in mind,” stated Dr. Galaviz.
TEA provided the opportunity for districts to submit a transition waiver extension request to provide flexibility for districts in communities that are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases/data points. One specific data point provided by TEA as an indicator that a community is facing a surge is having a 15 percent (or higher) hospitalization rate. As of October 7, 2020, the percent of total hospitalizations that have COVID-19 in El Paso is 15 percent.
Athletics, Fine Arts, and other UIL activities will continue as scheduled, following UIL guidelines.
Canutillo ISD understands its stakeholders will have many questions and will do its best to answer all in a timely manner. The district asks for continued patience as they work through the details of the next steps. Canutillo ISD will provide updates as information becomes available and as it receives further guidance from TEA and the local health authority.