Northside ISD urges another week of virtual learning for students due to COVID-19 surge

Superintendent Brian Woods sent letter to parents, posted video message on social media

SAN ANTONIO – Northside ISD Superintendent Brian Woods sent a letter to parents on Friday, asking them to consider waiting another week before sending students back to in-person learning due to the ongoing rise of COVID-19 cases in the area.

“We had hoped to see an improvement in the city’s health metrics and allow students to return Feb. 1. However, we have seen inconsistent metrics,” Woods said in the letter. “This applies to those who temporarily switched to virtual learning and those who had hoped to start in-person learning for the third grading cycle.”

Recommended Videos



Woods said the district would determine the possibility of allowing additional in-person learners next week. He said the district would communicate with parents about any updates.

The superintendent had previously urged parents to consider virtual learning for their kids through the end of January because of the surge in COVID-19 cases.

He had said the district was not closing schools or going to mandate virtual learning because the state requires the district to offer daily in-person instruction and ties funding to that mandate.

Woods had also said before that any parent who opted to go virtual now would not be giving up an in-person slot for the rest of the school year.

District staff will continue to work in buildings and offer support in-person as well as virtual instruction through the end of the school year.

Students who need a device to facilitate virtual learning will be able to get one from their child’s school.

Also on KSAT:


About the Authors:

Julie Moreno has worked in local television news for more than 25 years. She came to KSAT as a news producer in 2000. After producing thousands of newscasts, she transitioned to the digital team in 2015. She writes on a wide variety of topics from breaking news to trending stories and manages KSAT’s daily digital content strategy.

Patty Santos joined the KSAT 12 News team in July 2017. She has a proven track record of reporting on hard-hitting news that affects the community.