Hello Kealing Families,

As you may know, April 20 is a National School Walkout Against Gun Violence in Schools. I encourage you to take a look at the message from Dr. Cruz regarding the National School Walkout.

Some of our students have asked to have an opportunity to have their opinions acknowledged and their questions answered. Civic participation is an important component of education and we know that our students are interested in a variety of issues that they see and encounter in their lives. Through a Day of Action on April 20, 2018, Kealing students will participate in town hall meetings, visit with representatives from organizations with different concentrations, and participate in activities developed by student leaders that allow students to address the issues that matter to them. This day is an exercise in civics through which our students’ voices will be encouraged and valued. 

This week Kealing students learned about Action Civics through Advisory lessons prepared in the Generation Citizen course. They also had the opportunity to write questions about the topics they chose in preparation for the town hall panelists. The town hall will include a variety of guests including members of the Texas Legislature, the Austin ISD School Board, the Austin Police Department, the League of Women Voters, the Austin Chapter of the NAACP, the Texas Rifle Association, and Texas Gun Sense. The Central Texas Food Bank, Think Bilingual Austin, Safe Austin, The Kindness Campaign, The Golden Hornet, and Lemonade Day are just a few of the community organizations who will be present to tell students about their work.

I encourage you to take a look at this week’s Advisory plans for the Action Civics lessons. You can also view a list of speakers who will be a part of the town hall meeting. The other activities will also be posted on this site Thursday evening so you can preview them and be prepared to talk to your students at home. Friday will be a day of learning, listening, and engaging and we hope that each student will walk away with ideas about how to be involved and have a voice in their communities.

We will operate a C Schedule on Thursday, April 19 to allow all students to visit all classes.

Warm Regards,

Kenisha Coburn

April 18, 2018

Dear Austin ISD students and families,

It is anticipated that some of our students and staff may participate in the National School Walkout on April 20.

As students raise their voices, we understand there are many questions regarding their actions in this or any future demonstration. Austin ISD has created a Frequently Asked Question tool (below) to share important information and processes with our community.

Austin ISD has more than 81,000 students who come to school each day that are open to learning while building knowledge that will one day change the world. We believe finding their voice is an essential part of our students’ preparation for college, career and life.

I encourage our families to have conversations with their students about expectations, safety and appropriate methods to express their views. We recognize that emotions are charged in regard to school violence. As always, the safety of our students is our top priority. Please remember that if you or your child see something, say something.

Supporting our children with positive and open conversations is key to helping them deal with uncertainty.  We will continue collaborating with our students and staff to create the safest and most positive learning environments possible.

Respectfully,

Paul Cruz, Ph.D

Superintendent

Austin Independent School District Frequently Asked Questions concerning the Friday, April 20, 2018 #NationalSchoolWalkOut

Q1) Why is AISD staff writing this FAQ?

A1) We are aware of a National School Walkout planned for April 20, 2018 leading up an event that begins downtown at 1 p.m. We are planning in advance of the event and are taking steps to be prepared for possible student and staff participation.

Q2) Will we follow a regular schedule and hours on this day?

A2) Yes, all start times, lunches, activities and transportation times will continue on a normal schedule.

Q3) Will students who walkout be counted as excused or unexcused?

A3) While students may choose to participate in a student-led demonstration, students will receive an unexcused absence for classes missed.

Q4) Can parents write a note for students to be excused?

A4) A walkout for a protest is an unexcused absence.

Q5) Will a student be disciplined by the AISD staff for walking out?

A5) If students are exercising their right to protest in a peaceful manner, this precludes the student from receiving any disciplinary action other than their absence from the class being marked as unexcused.  

Q6) Will administrators or teachers supervise students during a student-led demonstration?

A6) Staff will only supervise students while they are on campus.

Q7) Will AISD police escort students?

A7) The school district does not have the resources to allow officers to leave their assigned campus during the school day. Students should use extreme caution once they have left their campus.

Q8) Will the district provide transportation to the event?

A8) No. We will be running our standard bus transportation operations and do not have the capacity to provide transportation to the event.

6th grade MAGNET Students FIELD DAY - Tuesday, April 10th, 9a-12:45p, Zilker Park (can meet at Zilker); SIGN UP HERE!

6th grade ALL Students - Wednesday, April 11th, 9a-1:15pm, Paramount Theater (MUST MEET AT KEALING and ride the bus): SIGN UP HERE!

March 19, 2018

Dear Austin ISD families,

We hope that you and your family had a restful and relaxing Spring Break, but we understand that tension may be high as our children return to school in the midst of the situation in Austin involving explosives.

We want you to know we are coordinating with the Austin Police Department—along with state and federal partners—to take any and all necessary security precautions.

This is what our campus faculty and staff are doing:

• Being mindful of anything that looks out of the ordinary.
• Contacting the Austin Police Department immediately if they see anything suspicious.
• Conducting perimeter checks for any suspicious items inside or outside of school buildings.
• Carefully examining all mail deliveries.

We remain vigilant with our safety and security measures, and we need your help.

Talk with your students about being cautious. Make sure they understand they should not touch anything unusual or suspicious, and should report it to a trusted adult or the police. Remind other adults, your friends, family and neighbors to do the same. No matter how minor, if you see something, it needs to be reported to the Austin Police Department 9-1-1.

Additional actions you can take to improve safety when visiting your student’s school:

• Enter through the visitors’ entrance and check in at the front office.
• Do not let anyone “piggyback” on your entry into the school. Ask them to wait their turn.
• Wear your visitor sticker in a clearly visible location. 
• Report anyone you see walking around campus without an AISD badge or visitor badge to the front office.
• Know that firearms are not permitted in school buildings at any time with the exception of those carried by law enforcement. 
• Remember: “If you see something, say something.”
• Follow Austin ISD’s social media accounts that may be used in an emergency. On Twitter, follow @AustinISD and on Facebook, like https://www.facebook.com/austinisd/.
• Follow your school’s social media accounts that may be used in an emergency.

Additionally, you can talk with your child about reporting suspicious rumors or activity. Make sure your children can name two adults at school that they would feel comfortable alerting.

Our campus counselors are trained to support students and staff and are available if needed. For more advice about how to talk to your children about violence, visit the National Association of School Psychologists online resources: http://bit.ly/2khji7j.

The Austin ISD team works closely with the Austin Police Department to keep our students safe. Know that if you receive an alert from AISD, we are coordinating with APD to send those messages.

We are one, large Austin ISD family, and we care for all our children. It takes all of us to make school safe, and we thank you for your assistance in keeping our students safe.

Sincerely,

Paul Cruz, Ph.D.
Superintendent

ELECTIVE CHANGE TIME!

If students would like to make a lateral (within the same period) change for electives, the time has come!  Forms will be available in the Program Office beginning after school today (1/17/18).  They will be due no later than after school (3:00pm) on Friday, January 19th.  A list of courses with open seats can be found HERE.  Two copies are also posted in the main foyer of the school.  

Dianne Carter