Fort Worth-area schools should go virtual as COVID cases surge, health official says
Tarrant County health officials are recommending school districts consider switching to virtual learning, citing potential outbreaks if in-person learning continues.
Vinny Taneja, the county’s public health director, told county commissioners on Tuesday that the guidance is non-binding, but if schools experience an outbreak there is no doubt they should go fully online. Almost every indicator is turning red on the county’s school guidance dashboard, Taneja said. This includes coronavirus hospitalizations, case trends and positivity rates.
COVID-19 cases at Tarrant County schools are up 33% this week, pushing the total to 1,148. Across Texas, there have been 12,847 cases reported among students and staff. Schools should stay one step ahead and consider going online before an outbreak occurs, Taneja said.
The county is experiencing a surge in hospitalizations and people visiting a emergency rooms with COVID-like Illness, he said. The county’s positivity rate is at 11%, and has been between 9% and 11% since Aug. 1. It peaked at 20% on July 7.
Coronavirus hospitalizations in the county are up to 11% of occupied beds and 8% of total beds, the highest rates since Aug. 16.
The surge is attributed to the further reopening of the businesses, schools and sporting events, Taneja said. And people are starting to get comfortable.
Taneja said he is not asking for schools to go online at the flip of the switch but to prepare because there is too much disease activity in the community that could lead to major outbreaks if in-person learning continues.
In Fort Worth, the school district’s plan to gradually get students back in classrooms began Oct. 5 when pre-K, kindergarten, first-grade, sixth-grade, ninth-grade and special-education students and some seventh-graders returned to classrooms. By Oct. 19, the district wants all grade levels to return to in-person learning if families choose that option.
Clint Bond, Fort Worth school district spokesperson, wrote in an email that the district will continue with its in-person and virtual models, but can go online-only at any time if the school board believes it is in the best interest of the children and employees.
In Arlington, the school district started optional in-person instruction on Oct. 9 while high schools continue with a mix of online and in-person learning. Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos said in a statement that after hearing the news, the district will consult with local health experts to review its safety protocols to ensure people are as safe as possible.
The Keller and Mansfield school districts did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 4:08 PM.
