How are Fort Worth-area schools, colleges responding to coronavirus? A comprehensive list.

The growing number of coronavirus cases across the U.S. and in North Texas has led local school districts and colleges to consider measures that could help protect students from the spread of the virus.

There were more than 137,000 cases across the globe as of Friday, including more than 1,200 cases in the U.S. and 39 cases in Texas, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. There have been at least 12 presumed positive cases of the coronavirus in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, according to health officials.

COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, causes symptoms that typically develop two to four days after exposure such as a dry cough, fever and trouble breathing, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In some cases, especially with older individuals and people living with underlying health problems, there are more serious symptoms that can require hospitalization.

Since the coronavirus spreads through human to human contact, health officials have discussed community tactics to reduce the spread of the illness like “social distancing” and preventing large gatherings of people. Universities across the country have shifted to online classes while some schools have called off classes altogether.

Some schools where community members have been exposed to the virus canceled classes while buildings were cleaned. Meanwhile, districts and colleges across Tarrant County that have so far been unaffected by the coronavirus aren’t canceling classes altogether but are taking proactive measures to prevent the spread, with most aided by a built-in spring break.

Local districts have moved classes online and extended spring breaks. All local school districts have pushed back spring break at the direction of Tarrant County health officials, in addition to measures like disinfecting buildings.

Schools say they’re relying on guidance from agencies like the CDC and the Tarrant County Public Health department.

Below are alphabetical lists showing the ways in which local districts and colleges are responding to the spread of the global virus. It will be updated as schools respond to questions sent by the Star-Telegram.

School districts

• The Aledo school district is closing schools for two weeks following its spring break, which ends March 16. The school is going to be putting out “information about the delivery of instruction and how to provide meal support, as needed, to our students during this extended closure of buildings,” the district wrote in a message on its website. Custodians have been cleaning campuses on a daily basis with hospital-grade cleaners and addressing common-touch areas like doorknobs and desks.
• The Arlington school district announced Friday it’s closing all 78 of its schools until March 30. “We’re in an unprecedented situation that requires us to take unprecedented action,” Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos said in a news release. The district has said it’s been deep-cleaning its campus buildings and buses with electrostatic disinfectant over spring break, and all facilities are cleaned every night.
• The Azle school district in northwest Tarrant County is extending its spring break two weeks until April 6, the district announced Friday. The decision comes after the district cancelled its annual showcase of student exhibitions and demonstrations that was set for Thursday at Azle High School, a spokesperson said. The event often attracts around 5,000 people.
• The Burleson Independent School District south of Fort Worth is extending its spring break two weeks until April 6, the district announced Friday. The district has also asked employees and students who have had any members of their household travel during the month of March to fill out an online form. The district provided a list of frequently asked questions with answers on its website.
• Carroll Independent School District facilities in Southlake is extending its spring break until March 30, the district announced Friday. District schools have also been undergoing a deep clean over spring break with a focus on disinfecting high-touch surfaces. The district has also announced all employees are required to take a travel survey before returning to school and students who traveled to countries identified by the CDC as being high-risk. A school-sponsored Emerald Belles cruise set for late March was canceled.
• The Castleberry Independent School District custodial staff is disinfecting classrooms, office areas, locker rooms and buses on a daily basis, a district spokesperson said in an email on Wednesday. Spring break for the district located northwest of downtown Fort Worth is from March 17-20. No decision has been made on extending spring break or canceling classes.

• The Eagle-Mountain Saginaw Independent School District in northwest Tarrant County is extending its spring break by two weeks until March 30, the district announced Friday. Custodial staff have been routinely sanitizing schools and buses “using the same type of electronic sprayers used by HazMat teams and first responders,” a spokesperson said. This has been going on for weeks and will continue through the end of cold and flu season in May.

• The Everman Independent School District is extending its spring break by two weeks until March 30, the district announced on Friday. The district has been encouraging students to wash hands often, properly cover coughs or sneezes and cleaning classroom surfaces frequently, according to a letter that went out to parents.
• The Fort Worth Independent School District is extending its spring break by two weeks until March 30, the district announced Friday. The district has brought in extra crews to do a thorough cleaning of its buildings this week, a spokesperson said over email.
• The parent of a Tadlock Elementary School student within the Frisco Independent School District has a presumed positive case of the coronavirus, and it was later determined his wife and 3-year-old child do too. The district has announced it’s extending its spring break for a week, until March 23, and “all in person classes will be suspended and replaced with virtual instruction and other alternative learning options.” The timeline is unclear.
• The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, which covers Grapevine and multiple nearby cities, is extending its spring break by two weeks until March 30, the district announced Friday. The district has also been asking all students and staff members to complete a brief “travel survey” before returning to class. Staff have been misting campus buildings and buses with a disinfectant on a weekly basis.
• The Hurst-Euless-Bedford district is extending its spring break by two weeks until March 30, the district announced Friday. Posters with information on coronavirus prevention have been posted in Hurst-Euless-Bedford district health clinics on each campus and maintenance staff have been cleaning schools with a disinfectant over spring break. The district has informed parents to carefully monitor their child’s condition before sending them to school. The student showcase set for March 21 and all activities and events in that time period have been canceled.
• The Keller school district is extending its spring break by two weeks until March 30, the district announced on Friday. Officials are also asking employees and families to self-report if over spring break — ending March 16 — they’ve visited the high-risk countries identified by the CDC, a spokesperson said. District staff use hospital-grade disinfectant daily, according to the Keller ISD website.
• The Kennedale Independent School District is extending its spring break by two weeks until March 30, the district announced on Friday. Campus buildings and buses have been cleaned with “electrostatic sprayers” over spring break and the district has canceled the University Interscholastic League Debate State Tournament and Robotics FIRST Tech challenge.
• The Lake Worth Independent School District is extending its spring break by two weeks until March 30, the district announced on Friday. Schools have also been undergoing a deep clean, including the disinfecting of frequently visited spaces like the cafeteria, bathrooms and classrooms as well as shared school supplies chairs and desks.
• The Mansfield school district is extending its spring break by two weeks until March 30, the district announced Friday. The district has also initiated proactive measures to prevent the coronavirus such as cleaning schools and beginning an education campaign.
• The Village Tech school district in Duncanville has extended its spring break until March 20 due to increasing cases of coronavirus and the World Health Organization’s classification of the virus as a pandemic, Superintendent David Williams wrote in a letter to parents. “Take care of yourselves and your families as we work to navigate this event that is unprecedented in our post-modern world,” Williams said.
• The White Settlement school district is extending its spring break by two weeks until April 3, the district announced Friday. The district has also deployed one of its partners partners, GermBlast, to disinfect all schools and facilities over one weekend, the superintendent wrote in a message to parents. That’s in addition to the regular cleaning with disinfectant performed by custodians.

Colleges

• At UT Dallas, spring break will be extended by one week. Classes scheduled for March 23-27 are canceled. Faculty and staff will use the next two weeks to prepare to transition courses to online delivery. Classes will resume March 30. When classes resume, the university will shift courses to an online format. Visit the university’s website for more information.

• The University of North Texas in Denton has announced it will extend its spring break another week until March 23, and a decision about the “delivery method” of classes will be made by March 19. Faculty are reportedly going to focus on transitioning to online or alternative classes. Campus buildings are also undergoing regular cleaning including disinfecting all restrooms, frequently touched surfaces and water fountains every day as well as cleaning restrooms in high-traffic buildings twice a day, a spokesperson said. Over spring break, all tables and chairs in classrooms and public areas of classroom buildings will be disinfected.
• Tarrant County College is extending its spring break until March 23 and officials are going to be making a decision about how classes will be delivered, the college announced Friday. Students have been told they’ll receive an email from their instructors next week about the status of classes.
• TCU is extending its spring break until March 20 before all in-person classes will shift online until April 3, the college announced Wednesday. Faculty will use the longer spring break to prepare to move their classes online. Also, there have already been increased cleaning protocols across campus, a college spokesperson said.
• The University of Texas at Arlington announced Thursday it’s extending spring break another week until March 23 as instructors prepare to take their in-person classes online “until further notice.” All UTA employees, however, are set to return to work as scheduled on March 16. On-campus events, including tours, will be suspended until at least April 6.
• Texas Wesleyan University is extending its spring break until March 23, when students will begin taking their in-person classes online “until further notice,” the college has announced. Faculty and staff members, excluding student workers, are set to return to campus March 16-20 to prepare to teach their classes remotely. Students are encouraged to go home while classes are suspended, the college said, and those unable to leave the residence halls are required to check in with their hall staff to make arrangements.

This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 5:00 AM.

Jack Howland

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jack Howland was a breaking news and enterprise reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.