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Sarah McKenna and her son, Ian, look at the leaves of a plant in the garden of their home. Ian donated 20,000 pounds of produce to his community over eight years.
When Austin Independent School District classes went online at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Sarah McKenna, a single mother and essential worker, thought her son would thrive in the remote learning environment.
In actuality, Ian, who has ADHD, autism and dysgraphia, struggled to focus and keep up with his classes. In contrast, his sister, Addison, did thrive. Addison, who has ADHD and a sensory-processing disorder, found the minimized distractions and sounds at home benefited her.
Austin Independent School District has asked its families to keep kids learning from home if possible this week. It had made the same request last week as cases were rising in Austin and Travis County.
In a letter to parents, Austin ISD, wrote last week: Our campuses were able to also reduce the amount of adults supporting each campus in a collective effort to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 during this critical time for our community.
University of Texas and Texas State University both begin classes on Tuesday. UT is encouraging a low level of on-campus density right now but has not switched to virtual-only classes. Texas State has encouraged its professors to switch to virtual-only classes for the first two weeks.
Shea Wiedemeyerâs depression crept in slowly.
The high school freshman had struggled with some anxiety before schools shut down abruptly in March, but in the isolation of the pandemic, cut off from daily interaction with friends and teachers at McCallum High School in Austin, the feelings snowballed.
âI feel stuck in this sort of in between age where Iâm old enough to see current events that Iâm able to understand their impact and have opinions on them, but Iâm unable to really do anything about it,â she said. âItâs a very discouraging feeling and it leaves me feeling pretty hopeless about the future, both my own and that of the world.â
Austin council member Alison Alter. Official portrait.
In a phone and email exchange Thursday, Austin city council member Alison Alter demanded that Austin Police Chief Brian Manley “proactively” investigate all APD officers for the violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. No APD officers have been found to have even been in Washington that day.
Alter spoke with and emailed APD Chief Brian Manley on Thursday afternoon, January 14, and an exchange followed during which Manley explained to Alter that her demand for an investigation of every APD officer for actions none are accused of taking would, among other things, strain the department’s investigative resources.