YISD teachers, staff told to return to schools on Jan. 19 to prepare for in-person classes

EL PASO, Texas -- The Ysleta Independent School District announced Thursday that teachers and staff will report back to school campuses as of Jan. 19 to prepare for the potential return of students.

Officials said the move will allow teachers some time to experience their workday schedule changes and health protocols that have been put into place in school buildings without students being present.

The announcement followed a school board meeting on Wednesday evening where some board members had pushed back on Superintendent Xavier de la Torre's plan for the return of teachers, saying they wanted to wait until the teachers were vaccinated against the coronavirus.

De la Torre cautioned the board that a delay was not really an option unless it was willing to accept "the consequences of millions of dollars" in possible lost state education funding.

The district has not yet set a date for the start of in-person instruction, and students currently continue to partake in online learning with a small number of students attending learning hubs.

Officials noted that even once in-person classes resume, parents would have the option to stay with online learning or utilize a combination of online and in-person schooling.