DALLAS — While many public schools in North Texas are holding off on in-person learning for the first few weeks of the school year, private schools are faced with a different challenge. 

Since private schools aren’t subject to regulations set by state and federal governments, most have been navigating the needs of students and parents, suggestions of health experts, and the safety of staff. Most of them are offering parents the option to send their children to in-person classes or to continue virtual learning.

What You Need To Know

  • Private schools are offering in-person and virtual learning this fall

  • For students who will be in the classroom, masks and social distancing will be required

  • Students will also be required to undergo regular health screening

At Prestonwood Christian Academy, a private school in Plano with 1,650 students, Interim Head of School John Klingstedt said they are giving the option to their families, though the families have almost overwhelmingly said they want their students to return to the classroom.

In this instance, Prestonwood looked at recommendations from the Texas Education Agency and the Centers for Disease Control to guide them on how to open the classroom safely. 

“While students are on campus, there will be additional safety measures such as social distancing, smaller class sizes, and masks,” Klingstedt said. “Everything is being adapted.”

To support in-person and virtual learning, Prestonwood has reassigned teachers for its elementary classes – some teachers will take virtual classes while others will take in-person classes. For the high school classes, students are given Chromebooks and can log into cameras within their assigned classes. Additionally, Klingstedt said, the school has hired remote “learning facilitators,” whose job it is to keep students learning at home on track.

“It’s almost like a personal tutor,” he said. “Some students will need that more than others, but it’s a way we can ensure students don’t slip through the cracks.”

Elsewhere in North Texas, other private schools are also splitting their resources between in-person and virtual learning. The Diocese of Fort Worth, which oversees most of the Catholic schools in Tarrant County, is also offering families the choice to stay at home or physically go back to school. At Nolan Catholic High School, students who plan on physically returning to school the fall will be asked to undergo COVID-19 screening before the start of school and continue every week using symptom tracking on a cell phone app.

For the Diocese of Dallas, Catholic schools within its jurisdiction will be open and teaching students in person, though parents can opt for remote learning. There will be a two-week transition period to train students and parents in the new safety and health protocols, including wearing masks and health screenings every day.

At Prestonwood, Klingstedt said the school also has a variety of contingency plans in the case of another upsurge of COVID-19 cases, and they can be adapted and changed as needed.

Overall, the school is just trying to navigate unprecedented times of struggle to properly educate students and keep them safe and healthy at the same time.

“We’re just really weighing the pros and cons of quality of life and quality of learning,” Klingstedt said. “We keep hearing and seeing studies of the impact on social, emotional, and behavioral needs of children – trying to balance that out is key.”