HOUSTON – Several area schools will be starting school Monday, and among them in Houston’s largest district.
The Houston Independent School District will be debuting many new programs for the 2019-2020 school year.
Here are some of the things students and parents can look forward to.
Full-Day pre-K
HISD has expanded its free, full-day pre-K program this year. Twelve elementary campuses now have a total of 38 additional pre-K classrooms. Two campuses – Hillard and Oates elementary schools – are starting pre-K for the first time.
“We’re just continuing to expand it across the district so parents don’t have to worry about going from one side of town to another to receive support for their students in pre-K, ” said HISD Superintendent Grenita Lathan.
Students do not have to be zoned to a specific campus to attend a pre-K program, but parents do have to be pre-registered.
Expanded Fine Arts Program
HISD has also expanded the fine arts program district-wide. The district has assigned a certified fine arts teacher to every elementary school. Students can take music, theater or visual arts lessons every day.
“Sometimes fine arts has been eliminated or just moved to the side,” Lathan said. “It’s very important that students have an opportunity to tap into their creative side, they have an opportunity to express themselves.”
The district’s goal is to have at least two per campus within the next several years.