More than 2,000 Texas students have tested positive for COVID-19, new data shows
Texas schools have reported that 2,344 students and 2,175 staff members have tested positive for coronavirus since the school year began, according to a COVID-19 dashboard released by the Texas Department of State Health Services on Thursday.
Those that tested positive represent students and staff who were on campus, according to a press release. Since the start of the school year, there have about 1.1 million students and about 800,000 staff members who have been on campus.
The dashboard will be updated weekly on Wednesdays. The data provided is representative of all schools in the state but starting next week it will also be broken down by district.
Fort Worth school district officials voted Tuesday to give families the option to return to in-person learning on Oct. 5. While case counts specific to the Fort Worth Independent School District have not yet been released by the state, the Tarrant County Public Health Department recommends that most school districts in the county consider hybrid learning, which is a mix of in-person and online classes.
While the number of positive cases in Tarrant County had been trending downward over the past few weeks, Vinny Taneja, the county’s public health director, has warned that the Labor Day holiday could cause a spike in cases, making it difficult for schools to resume in-person instruction.
“The data is showing there is trouble brewing,” Taneja told Fort Worth school officials on Tuesday.
