Katy ISD Considers Post-Pandemic Virtual High School Option

KATY MAGAZINE NEWS

March 30, 2021

By Natalie Cook Clark

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Katy ISD, like many school districts throughout the country, has adapted to provide a virtual instruction option. The format has proven beneficial for many local high school students and the District is seeking parental feedback to help them consider forming a permanent Katy Virtual High School.

Katy ISD has offered a virtual learning option, Katy Virtual Academy (KVA), for the entire 2020-2021 school year to help families cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. After seeing the success in many local high school students, the District is considering creating a permanent virtual high school.

"It's that big question I get asked all the time," said Dr. Ken Gregorski, Superintendent of Schools. "We've talked about this with a team of experts and believe in-person learning is still the best way for students to learn, but also recognize that a lot of our high school students have done well in a virtual environment," he added.

Katy parents of current eighth through 11th-grade students will receive a Katy ISD Virtual High School Interest Survey via email within the week. The District will use this information to help in the decision-making-process of forming a Katy Virtual High School.

Dr. Gregorski explained that considerations for the framework of a Virtual High School (VHS) would involve a stand-alone school that would not be affiliated with any of the District's existing nine high school campuses.

The Katy ISD VHS would offer online courses to ninth through 12th grade students only. Class and GPA rank would include only those students enrolled in the school, and the school would have its own graduation and diploma.

At last night’s scheduled school board meeting, the board discussed the possibility of an online school.

Interested parents of qualifying grade levels students need to watch their emails for the survey and provide feedback.