Austin ISD considering postponing first day of school until Sept. 8

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin ISD students are still waiting to learn when they will start the new school year.

Students were supposed to start classes on August 18th, but the district is considering pushing the start date to September and for at least the first four weeks, all classes will be held online.

This decision would come on Thursday as the AISD school board votes on whether or not to postpone the start of the 2021 school year until September 8th.

"We're looking to push back our start date to September 8th," said Eddie Villa, Communications Specialist with AISD "These decisions are made for keeping our students, our teachers and community safe."

Austin ISD students may not see the classroom until November, with the district saying they are pushing for an additional four weeks of remote learning. AISD said they can use that extra time to help phase in students back on campus.

Also on Tuesday, Governor Abbott said there is no official start date for the 2021 school year.

“It really is the responsibility and the necessity of the local elected school boards that are responsive to the teachers to the parents to the students to the public to make the decision that is best for their school their school," Abbott said.

However, with the school year being pushed back, what does that mean for the academic calendar year? Villa said that the board is looking at various calendar plans.

While much is still up in the air, AISD says their primary goal is the safety of all on campus.

Dr. Mark Escott with Austin Public Health said on Tuesday that schools should re-open at a 25 percent capacity so that districts can monitor the impact of re-opening. However, Abbott already said that health officials don't have any real authority when it comes to making decisions on re-openings, those are left up to the districts.

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AISD did say they are welcoming public comment ahead of Thursday's vote.

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