When district leaders gathered to begin planning for the 2020-2021 school year, we knew we were in uncharted territory with a situation where our “knowns” and “unknowns” were changing rapidly. What we learned in spring 2020 was that our plan moving forward needed to allow for quick pivots as external conditions shifted — all without losing focus on our values and commitment to each and every student. Out of a multi-step, design-thinking process came the Response Plan outlined on this website

Since its initial launch in the summer of 2020, the site has been revised and updated as the pandemic evolved. Our guiding principles have remained constant. These are the five truths we established early in process to direct our planning:

1. Belton ISD will provide exceptional learning experiences for each and every student.
   
   
2. Students and staff safety are the top priority.
   
   
3. Listening to the voices of our students, parents and staff is imperative to making decisions in the best interest of the Big Red Community.
   
   
4. Agility and fluidity in our decision-making are important.
   
   
5. We value clarity, kindness and unity in purpose.

With these principles in mind, we began identifying scenarios we envisioned the district might face in the coming months and used these scenarios to develop our System Response Guide.

These scenarios served us well during the 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024 school years and will continue to guide our thinking into the 2024-2025 school year.

Our plan is to provide a continuity of services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The interventions to be implemented with this plan will respond to the academic, emotional and mental health needs of all students. This includes students from all backgrounds including those from low-income families, other ethnic backgrounds, English language learners, students with disabilities, homeless, foster care, migratory and those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Belton ISD will:

• Follow CDC and Texas Agency guidelines to keep students and staff safe.
• Assess academic gaps and provide accelerated closing-the-gap growth opportunities.
• Evaluate the social and emotional needs of our students and staff.
• Make every attempt to keep schools open all year without experiencing closure.

This plan is subject to change based on regulations by the Texas Education Agency and the Governor of Texas. Parents will be notified if changes are necessary.

Belton ISD encourages the public and stakeholders to be involved in the process of revisiting and updating our response plan. We will continue to update our plan using feedback given by the School Health Advisory Committee and our community-wide survey.

System Response Guide

We know that providing face-to-face instruction in an at-school learning environment is the ideal way to ensure exceptional learning experiences for students. During the era of COVID-19, however, a range of public health prevention and mitigation strategies must be considered as we respond within a school facility setting. Our System Response Guide is not limited to guidance as it stands today but takes into account varying health and safety precautions that would support continuation of the at-school learning environment.

Scenario 1
This scenario is the closest to a pre-COVID-19 school environment. Community spread of COVID-19 is low. Students and families may still face academic and wellness challenges as a result of the pandemic, but individual masking is optional. Some strategies used in other scenarios have been incorporated into standard practice. Reporting to local health officials continues.

Scenario 2
In Scenario 2, community spread has slowed significantly. Prevention and mitigation strategies remain a priority. However, some restrictions have loosened to allow increased access to campuses.

• Masks are encouraged.
• Increased access to campuses.
• The district will contract trace and notify families.

Scenario 3
In Scenario 3, community spread of COVID-19 is an identified concern to local health officials. Enhanced safety precautions are in place that still prioritize providing student experiences and continued communication with campus communities. 

Scenario 4
Should Scenario 4 become an option, adjusted schedules will be implemented to create smaller cohorts of students. 

Scenario 5
In Scenario 5, health and safety concerns necessitate the closure of school buildings to students. This could be individual campuses or a district-wide closure. At this point, all at-school learning shifts to a remote environment.