Dallas-Fort Worth area schools with community coronavirus exposure cancel classes
Multiple schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area where community members have been exposed to the coronavirus called off classes Wednesday out of what officials described as an “abundance of caution.”
The Ursuline Academy of Dallas, a Catholic all-girls college preparatory school in northwest Dallas, canceled classes Wednesday as the school underwent a thorough cleaning, the district said in an alert on its website. A member of the “extended school community” was presumed positive for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus, the district said.
A presumed positive case of COVID-19 means the individual tested positive for the virus but it hasn’t been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control.
The Alvarado Independent School District — which consists of three elementary schools, an intermediate school, a junior high school and a high school — also did not have any classes Wednesday, the district said in a news release. An individual within the Alvarado Elementary North community was told to self-quarantine because of exposure to COVID-19, the district said.
The individual was reportedly exposed to COVID-19 at a doctor’s office where they work. The district noted the person hasn’t tested positive for COVID-19.
St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas will be closed for the rest of the week, the school announced on its website Wednesday.
“We have been in communication with Dallas County Health and Human Services regarding the presumptive case of COVID-19 with a member of our extended school community,” St. Rita Catholic School said in the statement. “... Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to cancel classes the rest of the week. We will assess the situation as things unfold to decide when to reopen sometime after Spring Break. We are currently working on cleaning the school (and the entire campus) following CDC guidelines.”
Both Catholic schools’ and the Alvarado district’s spring breaks fall between March 16 and March 20, according to their online schedules.
Ursuline Academy students will have “e-days” on Thursday and Friday, the school said on its website.
Alvarado schools will remain closed Thursday and Friday leading up to spring break, the district said. The Alvarado district also is going to work with the Johnson County Health Department to figure out next steps to “help contain further potential exposure to our community for when our students return on March 23,” according to the release from the district. Alvarado is about 30 miles south of Fort Worth.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 9:54 AM.