Hello Anderson families!

We here at Anderson are SO EXCITED to welcome you and your students to Anderson High School for the 25-26 school year. We’ve been working hard to prepare our spaces and our teachers to welcome all of our amazing students and give everyone the best year possible. I will have more information about the first day of school procedures coming out to everyone on Monday, August 18th.

The purpose of this communication, however, is to let all Anderson families know of some changes happening here for the school year. There are a lot of amazing things happening, and I want to give everyone time, so let's get into it!

In this email, you'll find information on...

• PTSA Sign-up

• Personal Devices

• Our Bell Schedule

• Parking and Construction Updates

• Back to School Night Information

Helpful Beginning of Year Links:

Austin ISD 2025-2026 Calendar

Anderson High School Student Handbook

Anderson High School Student ID Expectations

First of all, at Anderson we truly value the fact that we are a community school. Our parents, our families, our neighbors - we're all involved in the education of our children. We want everyone to be a part of the process, and to that effect, we want to encourage everyone to join PTSA and subscribe to the PTSA's newsletter, the Trojan Times. It's a simple process to get more information on how you can continue to support the school and your student!

During the most recent legislative session, Texas lawmakers passed, and Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law, House Bill 1481, which prohibits students from using personal devices on district premises during school hours.

Effective this school year, House Bill 1481 requires all Texas school districts to prohibit the use of “personal wireless communication devices”—defined as any wireless electronic communication device, other than one issued by the school for instructional purposes, that is capable of transmitting or receiving data.

What are the devices that now must be put away?

A non-exhaustive list of items that must now be turned off an put away on Austin ISD campuses from bell to bell:

• Personal cell phones

• Tablets

• Gaming Devices

• Smart watches

• Bluetooth headphones / airpods / earbuds

• Fitness trackers that can send and receive messages

• Personal computers, including macbooks

• Two-way radios

• Pagers

• Any other device capable of digital communication

Exemptions

A student is authorized to use a personal wireless communication device in the following circumstances:

• It is necessary to implement an IEP through special education, an IAP created under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794), or a similar program or plan;

• The student has a documented need based on a directive from a qualified physician; or

• The use is necessary to comply with a health or safety requirement imposed by law or included in the District's or school's safety protocols.

So, how does this work during the school day?

All personal electronics will need to be put away, completely out of sight, from 9:05am to 4:35pm in accordance with HB 1481 and Austin ISD Board Policy FNCE. We recommend that they be kept in a student's backpack for the duration of the day.

Any student with their phone will be given a consequence, ranging from a verbal warning to confiscation, depending on the situation. More information regarding a districtwide discipline matrix will be available after the board votes on the new policy on August 21st.

This is going to be a BIG adjustment for many students. But I know we can all agree that the classroom is a much better place, and students learn much more effectively, when teachers aren't competing with a phone for a student's attention.

For more info, including a FAQ: Anderson High School's Personal Device Policy

We wanted to give everyone a quick update on bell schedule times and our schedule structure, because there have been a few changes for this year.

First of all, new opening time

We have decided to change the opening time of the school from 8:00am to 8:30am.

Unless you are under the direct supervision of a coach or a teacher letting you in to the school for practice or tutoring, you will need to wait to enter the school building until 8:30am.

Secondly, the advisory change

One of our biggest struggles for as long as I've been here is the plethora of skipping and hall-wandering, and lack of accountability, that occurred during our advisory period. Our goal with the new schedule is to eliminate some of the opportunities that exist that allow for wandering and skipping behaviors.

Advisory is now built in to a student's 1st and 5th period blocks, and happens every day. Monday and Tuesday will be structured lessons, but that time on Wednesday through Friday will include study hall time and opportunities for tutoring at teacher request.

• Monday - Advisory will consist of school business and updates and allow students time to plan out their week

• Tuesday - Advisory will consist of the district required CharacterStrong lessons (more info on those to come!).

• Wednesday - Advisory time will be study hall, with an emphasis on English tutoring.

• Thursday - Advisory time will be study hall, with an emphasis on math tutoring.

• Friday - Advisory time will be study hall

Seniors with off periods during 1st or 5th will report to school in time for 2nd or 6th period at 11:05am.

Finally, the obvious change - passing periods

We've returned to a 5-minute passing period.

If you've driven by, or been to, the school recently, you'll notice some big changes happening! Pardon our dust, etc.

Parking / Drop-off / Pick-up

Because of all of the construction, we really need to structure our parking, our school drop-off zones, and our student pick-up zones as well.

Please look at this slideshow for more information on all of the above. Dr. Molina has created these slides that go into great detail about what each parking lot and drive is for. It looks great, because graphic design is his passion, but it's also incredibly informative.

Construction Update

Our secure vestibule, which is the front entrance of the school, will (hopefully!) be complete by September 19th. Until then, our front office will be housed mostly in the library, with the front entrance of the school being to the left of our normal main entrance.

The brand new athletic facility is underway! The area in front of our former athletic entrance and south courtyard is already unrecognizable!