COVID-19 Has Forced Many East Texas School Districts To Close

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The latest COVID-19 variant, omicron, is spreading through East Texas schools like wildfire. School districts are doing what they can to mitigate the spread of the virus, but this latest variant seems to be spreading faster than anticipated and they just can't keep ahead of it.

Many school districts throughout our area are facing several shortages teacher shortage, support staff shortage, school bus driver shortage and student shortage. The latest surge has people calling in and not making it to work or class because they just aren't feeling well or have tested positive for the virus. It seemed as if every day last week my daughter's school was sending me an email numerous times throughout the day letting me know that someone in one of her classes was positive for the virus. I received notice about her second-period class then her fourth, fifth and sixth-period classes too.

Her school has not temporarily closed down just yet and hopefully with the three-day weekend, because of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday, the cases in her school will start to diminish. However, there are other school districts in East Texas that have taken it a step further by canceling classes for the first half of the week.

By canceling classes districts can do deep cleaning and sanitizing of the facilities.

In addition to giving those students that have been exposed or are having symptoms a little extra time to recover. The following is a list of East Texas school districts that have canceled classes and when they return to class:

Center ISD - closed through Wednesday, 19th, returns Thursday, 20th
Jacksonville ISD - closed through Tuesday 18th, returns Wednesday 19th
Mt. Enterprise ISD - closed through Wednesday, 19th, returns Thursday, 20th
Mt. Vernon ISD - closed through Tuesday, 18th, returns Wednesday 19th
Nacogodoches ISD - closed through Tuesday, 18th, returns Wednesday 19th
New Summerfield ISD - closed through Tuesday, 18th, returns Wednesday 19th
Rusk ISD - closed through Tuesday, 18th, returns Wednesday 19th
Sulphur Springs ISD - closed through Tuesday, 18th, returns Wednesday 19th
Whitehouse ISD - closed through Wednesday, 19th, returns Thursday, 20th
Winona ISD - closed through Wednesday, 19th, returns Thursday, 20th

Other school districts were partially shut down last week and they return to the classroom on Tuesday 18th:

Chapel Hill ISD (Smith County)
Chapel Hill ISD (Titus County)
Elysian Fields ISD
Harleton ISD
Hughes Springs ISD
Kilgore ISD
LaPoyner ISD
Malakoff ISD
Murchison ISD
Overton ISD
Quitman ISD
Rains ISD
Wills Point ISD

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