BOERNE, TX – Boerne ISD announced Tuesday that, based on legal guidance from the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, all of its schools would be allowed to open on Aug. 12 with both in-person and online learning.
The district confirmed in a letter to all parents at Van Raub and Fair Oaks Ranch elementary schools that class would be held in Boerne ISD classrooms following Paxton's decision.
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According to a statement from Boerne ISD, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health Department’s health directive, issued July 17, delayed the opening of on-campus instruction until Sept. 7 for all schools in Bexar County. Ultimately, Boerne ISD said in a statement, “this resulted in an eighteen-day delay of in-person instruction for two of our Boerne ISD schools, Fair Oaks Ranch and Van Raub Elementary Schools.”
Boerne ISD said Paxton issued legal guidance related to local health authorities, stating that school officials, not health authorities, should decide when and how to open schools.
The district said parents at both Fair Oaks and Van Raub can choose which learning option is best for their children and will not be opening school 100% online as Bexar County originally mandated on July 17.
Additionally, the Texas Education Agency stated that campuses that did not offer an in-person educational opportunity would not be funded.
As of Monday, July 27, the district reported more than 65% of Fair Oaks Ranch Elementry School families and more than 61% of Van Raub Elementary School families had selected the in-person option for their children.
Overall, more than 77% of all BISD families selected in-person, while 23% chose e-learning, according to the district.
“As we proceed with our opening on August 12th, we will continue to work with our local health directors to identify any local spread of the virus, including contact tracking by the county, and craft metrics that are related to the safe opening and closing of individual campuses when necessary,” Boerne ISD said in a statement.