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Schools, College, and Universities

K-12 Schools

**School district reopening plans and schedules are subject to change depending on the most recent COVID-19 guidance from the local school board, local public health officials, the Texas Education Agency, and/or the Center for Disease Control. Please check with your local school district for the most up-to-date information.**

Houston ISD Fall Reopening Plan: https://www.houstonisd.org/Reopening

  • September 8: First day of school (all students virtual)
  • October 19, 2020: Face-to-face instruction begins*
  • September 8, 2020 - January 29, 2021:
    1. The first semester of virtual learning for students/parents who choose online instruction.
    2. *Parents will have the option to choose online instruction for the fall semester (through January 29) or the entire school year (through June 11). Read more about this process here.

**Online learning remains an option for all students based on parent choice throughout 2020-2021.**

Sheldon ISD Fall Reopening Plan: https://www.sheldonisd.com/

  • September 8: First day of school (all students will be virtual for the first four weeks of school).

Pasadena ISD Fall Reopening Plan: https://www1.pasadenaisd.org/

  • August 18: First day of school (all students virtual)
  • September 8 Face to face instruction will begin for students who choose to do so; All other students will continue virtually

Aldine ISD Fall Reopening Plan: https://www.aldineisd.org/2020/06/30/aldine-isd-releases-re-entry-plan-return-to-learn/

  • August 17: First day of school (all students virtual for the first three weeks of school)
  • Parents can then decide on the virtual or in-person learning model

Humble ISD: https://www.humbleisd.net/

  • Aug. 11: First day of school (all students virtual)
  • Aug. 17: In-person classes resume for self-contained special education students whose parents chose on-campus learning.
  • Aug. 24: In-person classes resume for elementary students whose parents chose on-campus learning. In-person classes resume on A/B schedule for middle and high school students whose parents chose on campus.
  • Oct. 12: Middle schools move from A/B schedule to regular schedule. High schools continue on the A/B schedule.

Galena Park ISD:https://www.galenaparkisd.com/domain/4350

  • September 8: First Day of school (all students virtual for the first four weeks)

Channelview ISD: https://www.cvisd.org/

  • September 8: First Day of School (all students virtual)

Deer Park ISD:https://www.dpisd.org/

  • August 19: First Day of School (all students virtual)
  • Sept. 16: Traditional (in-person) instruction begins for those who choose or continue with remote (online) instruction

Higher Education

**Campus reopening plans and schedules are subject to change depending on the most recent COVID-19 guidance from the local boards, local public health officials, and/or the Center for Disease Control. Please check with your university campus on their websites for the most up-to-date information.**

Funding Sources, Scholarships, and Job Opportunities

McDonald's HACER National Scholarship

Eligible students can be awarded up to $100,000 to cover the cost of tuition and other educational needs. Hispanic college-bound high school seniors and their parents are encouraged to visit mcdonalds.com/hacer for additional college resources in English and Spanish and for details on how to apply for the McDonald's HACER National Scholarship. The scholarship application period for the next academic year opened on October 5, 2020, and will run through February 3, 2021.

The McDonald's HACER National Scholarship is just one of many company initiatives created to educate the next generation of youth. This includes the Black & Positively Golden Scholarships for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the McDonald's/APIA Scholarship program for Asian and Pacific-Islander American students. The Archways to Opportunity program for crew gives eligible employees at participating U.S. restaurants the ability to earn a high school diploma, receive upfront college tuition assistance, access free education/career advising services, and learn English as a second language.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Peace Officer Loan Repayment Assistance Program

To be eligible for this loan repayment assistance program, you must:

  • Be initially appointed as a full-time peace officer on or after September 1, 2019
  • Have earned at least 60 semester credit hours, or the equivalent, at an eligible institution of higher education in Texas prior to initial appointment as a peace officer; and
  • Be currently employed, and have completed at least one year of employment, as a full-time peace officer in Texas.

To qualify for loan repayment through the Peace Officer Loan Repayment Assistance Program, an individual must meet the definition of "peace officer" as described in Article 2.12, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. For additional details, please review the program rules: Subchapter H, Texas Administrative Code.

Award Amount:

  • The annual amount of loan repayment assistance is the lesser of $4,000 or 20 percent of the total of unpaid eligible loan balance;
  • The maximum amount of loan repayment assistance is $20,000 over a five-year period;
  • An individual may not receive loan repayment assistance for more than five consecutive years;
  • Loan repayment awards are contingent upon available funding.
  • Loan repayment assistance received will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service.

Eligible Loans:

  • Must be evidenced by a promissory note which required the loan proceeds to be used to pay for the cost of attendance at an eligible Texas institution for a semester/term that ended in the five years immediately preceding the individual's initial appointment as a peace officer;
  • Must not be in default at the time of the peace officer's application;
  • Must not have an existing service obligation; and
  • Must not be subject to repayment through another student loan repayment or loan forgiveness program, or as a condition of employment.

Application Process:

Applications for loan repayment assistance based on service as an eligible peace officer September 1, 2019 – August 31, 2020, will not be available until September 1, 2020.

EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which became law in Marc 27, 2020, provides the Economic Development Administration (EDA) with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.

EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau's flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA), provides a wide range of financial assistance to communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the pandemic. Click here for more information.

Eligible applicants under the EAA program include a(n):

  • District Organization;
  • Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes;
  • State, county, city, or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions;
  • Institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or
  • Public or private non-profit organization or association acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State.

Humanities Texas Relief Grants

Humanities Texas invites Texas cultural and educational institutions facing financial hardship resulting from the coronavirus pandemic to apply immediately for fast-track Relief Grants. Apply now. Humanities Texas Relief Grants are made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the CARES Act signed into law on March 27, 2020.

Eligibility:

Nonprofit organizations and state and local governmental entities are eligible to apply for Humanities Texas Relief Grants. Eligible applicants must be in the state of Texas, serve Texas audiences, and develop and administer public humanities programming. Small and/or rural organizations are especially encouraged to apply.

Eligible Costs:

Applicants may request funds for general operating support and/or humanities programming.

What Are the Humanities?

According to NEH, humanities subjects include history, literature, modern and classical languages, linguistics, jurisprudence, philosophy, comparative religion, ethics, and the history, criticism, and theory of the arts. Social sciences that employ qualitative approaches such as cultural anthropology, archaeology, and political science are considered part of the humanities, as are interdisciplinary areas such as women's studies, American studies, and the study of folklore and folklife. The humanities do not include the creation or performance of art, creative writing, social science research, public policy, or social services.

Grant Amounts:

Humanities Texas will make immediate grants of up to $5,000 and, depending upon the availability of funds, will consider requests above this level to a maximum amount of $15,000. Relief Grants have no matching requirement.

Deadlines and Application Process:

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Decisions will be communicated via email typically within ten business days of application submission. Apply now.

Funding Priorities:

Humanities Texas Relief Grants are intended to provide support to organizations that have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Hence, the demonstration of need is a key focus of the application. In order to receive funds you must show that as a result of the pandemic, your organization has suffered hardship. This may include loss of significant revenue, loss of staff, difficulty paying rent or mortgage, inability to serve your target audience, and/or risk of closure.

All grant awards will be selected in open competition. Humanities Texas will prioritize awarding Relief Grants to organizations that 1) demonstrate great, immediate need as a result of COVID-19, and 2) administer humanities programs that have a significant impact in Texas communities.

Application Requirements:

Not Eligible for Funding

  • Individuals
  • For-profit organizations
  • Political or advocacy organizations
  • Organizations that are suspended or debarred or that are delinquent on federal debt
  • Purchase of land or facilities, construction, or renovation
  • Overlapping project costs with any other pending or approved application(s) for federal funding
  • Projects that fall outside of the humanities

Online Education Resources

Camp TV

Camp TV is a new, daily broadcast series that provides a virtual summer camp experience to elementary school students nationwide. CAMP TV features content from the nation's leading educational, arts, and cultural organizations, including museums, libraries, nature centers, and performing arts centers: https://www.pbs.org/show/camp-tv/.

Comp-U-Dopt Computer Lottery for Remote Learning

Need technology for remote learning? Register for the Harris County K-12 computer lottery at https://www.compudopt.org/houston.

Harris County Department of Education COVID-19 Resources for Early Childhood, K-12, and Adult Education:

The Harris County Department of Education has compiled a list of resources available to students of all ages during the ongoing pandemic. Parents and children can access these resources at https://hcde-texas.org/covid-information/parents-and-students/.

Houston Public Library Homework Resources:

As students continue to adapt to distance learning and the start of the school year just around the corner, the Houston Public Library compiled a list of online resources that students can use to complete their homework. Students can access these resources at https://houstonlibrary.org/research/resources-by-category/240.

OERTX Repository

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board launched OERTX in September, the state's digital repository of open educational resources (OER) for Texas students and educational institutions. OERTX is provided through a partnership between the Coordinating Board and the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) and is made possible by an appropriation from the Texas Legislature.

TEA: Texas Home Learning Platform

The Texas Home Learning online platform is a free, educational resource available to all Pre K-12 students, parents, teachers, and school districts in Texas to provide high-quality remote learning during the public health crisis.

HISD@HOME

Houston Public Media

PBS Learning Media