Notifications

 Mask and Face-Covering Requirement Modifications

In accordance with the Governor’s March 2 Executive Order and Texas Education Agency’s guidance, Yoakum ISD has eliminated the mask and face-covering requirements for students, staff, and visitors. The decision to eliminate the mask requirement was made after careful review of the number of cases in the District and the hospitalization rates of COVID patients in DeWitt and Lavaca Counties. The District will continue to follow recommended social distancing when possible, as well as frequent hand-sanitizing and enhanced cleaning procedures. School district employees were offered the COVID-19 vaccine, and the District allows for scheduling flexibility for any remaining staff to get the vaccine. Any student, staff, or visitor who wishes to wear a mask or face-covering is allowed to do so. 

 Dear Yoakum ISD Family:
       As you know, the District has offered the option of remote instruction since the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year as a temporary response to COVID-19.  I am very pleased to report that the efforts we have made to keep students and staff safe are working.  These safety protocols can all be found in Yoakum ISD Safe Start Plan.  As a result, we have not seen an outbreak of COVID-19. I want to thank each employee, student, and family who have worked so hard to follow our safety protocols and help ensure that YISD can continue to provide face-to-face instruction. 
       Considering this, Yoakum ISD has made the decision to end remote instruction at Yoakum Primary Annex School, Yoakum Primary School, and Yoakum Intermediate School effective Monday, September 28, 2020.  Beginning Monday, September 28, 2020, all students enrolled in Yoakum Primary Annex School, Yoakum Primary School, or Yoakum Intermediate School must report for in-person instruction. Effective October 13, 2020, remote instruction will end for Yoakum Junior High School and Yoakum High School.  Beginning Tuesday, October 13, 2020, all students enrolled in Yoakum Junior High School and Yoakum High School must report for in-person instruction. In accordance with TEA guidelines, parents have the option to request a transfer to any school district to meet their children’s educational needs for remote instruction. Parents also have the option to withdraw their children and enroll them in a private school or homeschool. 
       Yoakum ISD feels confident that the District’s plan to PREVENT the virus from entering the school, RESPOND to lab-confirmed cases, and MITIGATE the likelihood of COVID-19 spread inside the school is sound and looks forward to our current remote learners joining us for in-person instruction on Monday, September 28, 2020 for Pre-K thru 5th grade students and on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 for 6th grade thru 12th grade students. We will offer instructional support for students experiencing COVID related illnesses just as we would for any other illness.     
       We are looking forward to this transition, and thank you for working with our district through this very strange time. If you have any questions, please contact your campus administrator.     

Sincerely,
Tom Kelley
Superintendent

Yoakum ISD 2020-2021 Return-to-School Plan

Yoakum ISD is committed to providing quality instruction to all students. With the impact of Covid-19, opening schools will be very complex due to the unknown variables. Yoakum ISD currently plans to resume face-to-face instruction starting Wednesday, August 19, 2020. Administrators, teachers, and staff are looking forward to seeing your children back at school.

Due to COVID-19, there will be new safety guidelines in place for the following:

• Screening protocols
• Face coverings
• Classroom configurations
• Common areas
• Libraries
• Restrooms
• Arrival/Dismissal
• Breakfast/Lunch
• Transportation

A detailed safety plan will be released in the coming weeks.
                    Safe Start Plan 2020-2021
                    Safe Start Plan 2020-2021 (Spanish)

The Commissioner of Education has stated that parents will have the option of face-to-face instruction or online remote learning.

If you plan to keep your child at home and participate in virtual remote instruction, the mode of instruction will either be Synchronous Instruction or Asynchronous Instruction.  No instructional packets will be distributed. If you are planning on keeping your child at home and participating in remote virtual instruction, please contact the Campus Principal starting July 23^rd.

Synchronous instruction is defined as two-way, real-time instruction between teachers and students through computer or other electronic devices.  Yoakum Intermediate School and Yoakum Junior High School will be using this mode of instruction for students whose parents elect virtual remote instruction.

Asynchronous instruction does not require all participants to be virtually present at the same time. Examples: Self-paced online courses with intermittent teacher instruction, preassigned work with formative assessments on paper or in Learning Management System, watching pre-recorded videos of instruction with guided support.  Yoakum Primary, Yoakum Primary Annex, and Yoakum High School will be using this mode of instruction for students whose parents elect virtual remote instruction.

All remote instruction (Synchronous and Asynchronous) will include:

• Daily attendance & interaction with teachers.
• Formal and informal assessments.
• Students will be graded on the same grading scale as students who participate in face-to-face instruction.
• Devices with internet access are required. Google Classroom will be the Learning Management System that will be utilized.
• Students will follow their daily school schedule.
• Students participating in remote instruction will not be eligible for extracurricular activities or certain CTE courses including, but not limited to, athletics, band, welding, U.I.L. academic events.
• Students participating in remote instruction will be required to take the STAAR test if applicable.
• Curb side lunches and breakfast will not be offered.

As the Texas Education Agency issues more guidance in the upcoming weeks, information may be added or changed to the District website and the Yoakum ISD Facebook page.

Please keep in mind that the details are subject to change as directives are provided by governing authorities and/or health officials. 

Guidelines for Yoakum Bulldog Stadium

Yoakum ISD is following the COVID-19 Risk Guidelines set forth by the U.I.L. for attendance at football games for the 2020 football season.

Yoakum ISD will allow spectators to attend games within a maximum 50% capacity.

Spectators, fans, and media are required to wear face coverings when entering the stadium as described in Executive Order GA-29.

Groups should maintain at least 6 feet of distance from other groups at all times. A group is defined as no more than 10 people including the members of their own family and those who travel together to the facility.

Please do NOT attend games if:

• You are awaiting test results for COVID-19.
• You are not feeling well, have a fever, cough, sore throat, or loss of sense of taste and/or smell.
• You have been in direct contact with someone who has been confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19.

Visible signs will be posted and sanitizers will be available.

Stay safe and GO BULLDOGS!

Distance Learning Help

Need help with distance learning? Go to our Distance Learning Page.

 Raptor Visitor Management System

Yoakum ISD is pleased to announce that we are using the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our schools to strengthen our program of campus safety for students and faculty. Part of keeping students and faculty safe is knowing who is in our buildings at all times, and the Raptor system allows us to do that. The Raptor system allows us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for our students and staff. 

Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present an ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools simply to drop off an item in the office or pick up paperwork. 

The safety of our students is our highest priority and the Raptor visitor management system allows us to quickly identify those that may present a danger to our students. Thank you in advance for your understanding and your support in enhancing the school safety protocols in our district.