Frisco ISD Board of Trustees met Monday, discussing topics from STAAR/EOC testing plans to payment during closures due to the winter storm. Public comments regarding diversity in Frisco ISD were also brought up to the board by Students for Equity through Education member, Lone Star student Srikirthi Velichety. 

All STAAR/EOC tests will be administered on campus for both in-person and virtual students, with the English I exam taking place on April 6, English II on April 8, Algebra exam on May 4, and both Biology and U.S. History exams on May 5. 

Though the 2021 assessments will not be used for state or federal accountability purposes, such as A-F ratings, graduation requirements are still in place.  

Virtual students who choose not to not come to campus during the STAAR/EOC test day will participate in virtual instruction, though they must take the five required exams (English I, English II, Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History) before the end of the senior year. 

“If your student does not come to campus on an assessment day, [they] will not receive scores, which are key pieces of data to support student learning and address any gaps,” the district site said. “Students taking certain high-school level courses will miss a timely opportunity to take STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) exams. These STAAR EOC assessments are administered at the end of the first semester (December), at the end of the second semester (spring) and in the summer (June), giving students three testing opportunities each year.  The next test administration window opportunity for students needing to meet this graduation requirement is June 22-25, 2021.” 

A part of the Racial and Ethnic committee and Policy and Legal team, Velichety spoke about the need for more Asian representation within the district and its curriculum. 

“The root behind unawareness comes into how our curriculum is molded,” she said. “Asia is not just China and India. In my four years of high school, I have learned almost nothing about western, central, and southeast Asia. There are many diverse, rich cultures that make up Asia, but unfortunately our curriculum in schools around the country only talk about a specific part of it.” 

With Asian students making up 31.3 percent of the student population, Velichety believes representation is important, as well as integrating the different cultures into the local community and schools. 

“I know that in Frisco, there’s only a handful, besides those celebrating, that know the significance and value of Ramadan for Muslims, or that Diwali is more than the festival of lights celebrated by Hindus,” Velichety said. “This representation is important and it’s a matter of cultural integration.” 

She further touched on the need to expand the curriculum so students learn more about Asian countries and culture, the impacts of colonization on Asian countries, the need for more Asian teachers and other teachers of color within the district, as well as making sure to avoid the whitewashed teachings of Asian cultures.  

Students for Equity through Education are hosting a Diversity in Curriculum and Education roundtable discussion Thursday via Zoom. Additionally, Velichety’s full remarks during the board meeting can be found here. 

The district went on to discuss a resolution on payments for FISD employees during closures due to the winter storm. From Feb.15-28, FISD employees received their full pay without being penalized for not being able to work their full workdays. Additionally, employees required to work on site from Feb. 15-19 received time-and-a-half. 

During the week of Feb. 22, employees that worked to restore FISD buildings, from custodial staff to maintenance workers, received time-and-a-half payment. The board unanimously passed the motion to approve the payment during closure resolution. 

The full board meeting is available to watch item by item here.