SAN ANTONIO -- As Texas educators continue on finding safe ways to reopen this fall, The Winston School San Antonio found a solution they believe has and will continue to work best for their students in to the new school year.


What You Need To Know

  • Private school near the Medical Center just completed a four-week summer school program

  • Included face-to-face instruction with 65 students of all grade levels attending

  • Temperature checks at the entrance, masks required at all times

  • No students reported COVID-19 symptoms

The private school near the Medical Center just completed a four-week summer school program. Classes were held on campus and included face-to-face instruction with 65 students of all grade levels attending.

"There was a temperature check at the [front entrance] and hand sanitizer when you walked through the door. Then you were supposed to keep your masks on the entire time, which is what we did," said Myranda Calloway, an incoming high school student.

Calloway says staff and students wore face masks and desk were separated six feet apart. Her mom Tracy Calloway felt comfortable sending her daughter school knowing how clean the facility was kept while classes were ongoing.

"I thought about before we sent her. I made sure I felt comfortable with their plans and that she was going to be comfortable wearing a mask and be separated by space in the classroom," said Tracy Calloway.

The school's headmaster Dr. Charles Karulak says they followed guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. His team also consulted with Metropolitan Health District and Texas Department of State Health Services when planning.

"During that whole four-week period, we had no incidents," said Karulak.

He deemed the program a success and said no one from the school presented COVID-19 symptoms after.

"What we wanted to do was to do the summer program and then replicate that model for when school started," he said.

Seeing how successful summer school was, Karulak planned to have in-person classes when school started on August 17. However, in following recent local public health orders, the school will have to wait and reach their 200 students virtually the first three weeks.

"Because we work with kids with learning differences or disabilities, our particular population does much better face-to-face," Karulak said.

He hopes students can return to campus after Labor Day, however that decision is still up in the air.

"I just want to come back to school," said Myranda Halloway.

For families and their students concerned about returning, Karulak says the school will offer a long-term virtual option too.