ANGLETON, Texas — The playgrounds are silent at two Angleton ISD elementary schools and kids are not in class either.
"At two of our schools, we’ve had spread in the schools,” said superintendent Phil Edwards.
Late Tuesday, the district announced all campuses would be closed through the end of the week because of positive COVID-19 cases among students and staff and a high number of others quarantining because of exposure.
"We have been closely monitoring COVID-19 data throughout the district, reviewing the data on a school-by-school basis. After close review, we have decided that ALL Angleton ISD campuses will close the remainder of the week and will reopen on Tuesday, September 7 for regular school hours. (Monday, September 6 is a school holiday.)," Angleton ISD said in a statement.
The district said all staff will report as normal to work Wednesday unless they have tested positive for COVID-19, been exposed to COVID-19 or have COVID-19 symptoms, including Northside and Westside staff.
AISD said extracurricular activities at the high school and junior high campuses will continue as planned. The district also said as of now, students will not have to make up these school days, and students are not expected to work remotely.
All AISD administrative offices, district and campus, will remain open, and the district will continue to clean and sanitize the campuses this week during the school closure.
"Hopefully this is a short-term spike in what’s going on in our district and that we can mitigate that,” Edwards said.
What’s happening in his district follows the recent closure of two campuses in Fort Bend ISD, a number of classrooms in several other districts and the entire Onalaska ISD in Polk County.
Its superintendent said in a letter to families on Monday that the current data deems the action necessary to “curb the current trajectory.”
"It’s constantly changing and we just ask people to really have patience with us when it comes to that,” Edwards said. "We are having o be very flexible."
In Angleton ISD, like in most districts, masks are not mandatory. But Edwards urged anyone eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine get one and to follow suggested guidelines.
He said families should also be ready to adapt to changes on a potentially daily basis no matter how unpopular they may be among some.
"We’re going to respect everybody’s opinions," Edwards said. "But we need people to act in a responsible way. So if you’ve been exposed, get tested, stay home until you know for sure.”
Angleton ISD offers free COVID-19 testing for students staff and is planning additional vaccination clinics as well.