Friday, March 20, 2020

• ECISD has a revamped its COVID-19 web page to help you navigate the next two weeks of learning from home. Assignment boards for each grade, help for parents, and technology links for our teachers are among the items. So, is a section devoted to stress and anxiety you may be feeling. Please access this page often - www.ectorcountyisd.org/covid19 Parents, if you have not talked with someone at your child’s school yet, please call and make contact with them. It is very important that you stay in touch with your child’s teacher and principal during this time away from school.  
• Per our Governor’s order yesterday, beginning on Monday, March 23, only employees deemed critical to maintain the daily operation of our school district will be working on site. Along those lines, ECISD buildings will be open to the public from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. To help us comply with government guidelines on social distancing we ask the public to please call to make an appointment before you visit one of our schools or offices. That will help us limit the size of groups in our buildings. We appreciate your help with this.
• Our School Nutrition Department received a waiver to offer multiple meals for students to take home for the weekend, and today we served a staggering 17,194 meals. For the week, we served 35,226 meals to kids in our community.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared all schools in Texas will be closed through Friday, April 3, meaning ECISD’s school closure will last for one additional week. He did state all school districts should continue to provide instruction for students. Governor Abbott also declared only employees critical to the daily function of government agencies should report to work. All who can work from home, should do so as often as possible. READ MORE ABOUT TODAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT HERE

ECISD was already preparing for this possibility. Today and tomorrow teachers are reporting to their schools in order to gather materials, resources, and the student data they need to contact students and teach from home during the time schools are closed. By the end of the day Friday, every student should receive a call from their teacher, checking on them and letting them know assignments and activities will be coming. Everything you and your child need will be loaded on our website by the end of this week.

School nurses are on campus this week so parents can retrieve their student’s prescription medications or medical devices. Please call the nurse at your school if you need help with this.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

ECISD School Nutrition began serving breakfasts Wednesday morning, giving out 647 of them on this first day. They also served 4,262 lunches. The department is working on plans to deliver meals to neighborhoods throughout Ector County. For now, breakfast and lunch are available at all ECISD campuses, except for the early college high schools and the Alternative Center. SEE THE LOCATIONS, DATES, TIMES AND MENUS HERE

More food support is on the way. The West Texas Food Bank announced it will continue its Food 2 Kids program for weekend meals for the next two weeks. Parents can drive up to the Boys & Girls Clubs – 800 E. 13th Street, and 1476 N. Knox – between 4:00-7:00 p.m. on March 20 and March 27 and receive a bag of food for the weekend, when school meals are not being served.

Odessa Mayor David Turner declared a state of local disaster and public health emergency for the City of Odessa. As of Wednesday, there were no confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Ector County or Midland County. The disaster declaration was done to give the City the ability to react more quickly should our situation change. It also limits public gatherings to no more than 50 people, with a few specific exceptions. READ MORE ABOUT THE DECLARATION HERE

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Our Ector County ISD Board of Trustees approved one policy update and three resolutions that mean all regular ECISD employees – contractual and noncontractual, salaries and non-salaried – shall continue to be paid for their regular duty schedule. THE MEETING RECAP IS HERE.

School counselors returned to school Tuesday and are available by phone or e-mail to talk to students or families who need help. If you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious during this time our counselors are waiting to talk to you. 

Our School Nutrition Department served a little more than 1,506 lunches today. They will begin serving breakfast on Wednesday morning. Drop by any school (except the early college high schools and Alternative Center) to pick up a bag through their curb-side service. SEE THE LOCATIONS, DATES, TIMES, AND MENU HERE

Monday, March 16, 2020

ECISD School Nutrition establishes a system for providing meals for students each day during the closure. Free meal service will begin at lunch on Tuesday. Breakfasts will be available beginning on Wednesday morning. SEE THE LOCATIONS, DATES, TIMES AND MENU HERE

ECISD Curriculum & Instruction continues work on the methods for teachers to teach and for students to learn during this closure. First priority for parents, is to set up a daily routine for their kids which includes regular times for getting up and going to bed; specified academic time (reading and writing are important); creative time; and time to exercise.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott suspends STAAR testing for the Spring 2020 semester. READ THE ANNOUNCEMENT HERE

The CDC announces new guidance, asking citizens to limit social gathering to 10 or fewer people. READ THE ANNOUNCEMENT HERE

Sunday, March 15, 2020

ECISD Superintendent Dr. Scott Muri and Midland ISD Superintendent Orlando Riddick hold a joint press conference to talk about school closures, and to outline the immediate priorities for their school districts. Those priorities are setting up daily meal service for students, and establishing the means for delivering instruction during the closure. SEE THE ENTIRE PRESS CONFERENCE HERE

Saturday, March 14, 2020

ECISD announces all schools will be closed for the next two weeks, from March 16-27. This decision was made as a precaution, to help slow the potential spread of Coronavirus in Ector County. READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT HERE