Fort Worth, Arlington districts discussing whether to close schools next week
Tarrant County school districts, including Fort Worth ISD, plan to meet on a conference call Friday with officials from Tarrant County Public Health to assess a plan for possible closures next week.
Clint Bond, a spokesman for the Fort Worth district, said that Fort Worth plans to open schools on Monday — for now. “This is something that changes momentarily. I wouldn’t be surprised by anything at this point,” he said. “But we have no plans to change plans at this point.”
Bond said Fort Worth district officials have held multiple conference calls per day discussing the situation over spring break. Cleaning crews also provided a deep clean to campuses and offices.
The Mansfield school district, in a note on its website, wrote that after Friday’s meeting it would coordinate a specific plan. Arlington plans to cancel classes only if advised by local health officials. Keller district officials noted that “as the coronavirus continues to spread, the district knows that changes are likely after spring break.”
The Fort Worth, Arlington, Keller and Mansfield districts have been on spring break this week.
Throughout DFW, other districts have voluntarily closed next week (TCU, UT Arlington and other area colleges have done the same). Frisco, Wylie, Plano and McKinney, which have been on spring break, will extend their spring breaks at least through March 20. As students and parents return from spring break, they will make new evaluations for the future.
“We are taking these steps out of an abundance of caution,” McKinney Superintendent Rick McDaniel wrote in a letter to the community. “Public health officials have not yet made this a requirement for public institutions. Nevertheless, given all that we know, and what we can anticipate based on information from local, state and national agencies, including Collin County Health Services, Texas Health and Human Services, Texas Education Agency and the Centers for Disease Control, we believe this is the most prudent course of action at this time.”
The Dallas school district is on spring break next week. Classes are scheduled as normal for Friday. The district also canceled all events and activities, effective immediately.
The Texas Education Agency has not provided direction to local school districts regarding the coronavirus. The Agency’s commissioner, Mike Morath, was on a conference call with Gov. Greg Abbott and other legislators today.
Other states and public health officials have been split on how to best handle schools as the coronavirus spreads. Maryland announced Thursday it was closing all public schools through at least March 27. Minnesota health officials did not recommend closures but suggested that schools should limit large gatherings and assemblies. Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, wrote in The New York Times that children, who have been getting and spreading the virus at lower rates than adults, could face greater risks being outside of school.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 6:34 PM.
