(Austin, TX) — Schools in Texas may end up being closed for the rest of the school year as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told state officials in a Sunday conference call that schools could remain closed for weeks or months to come. Morath also said events involving large gatherings, such as sports and prom, may have to be canceled or postponed. Nearly 50 more are closed until March 23rd, and a handful until early April.
Fort Worth ISD is among about two-dozen North Texas districts that are closed until March 30th. Most Johnson County schools are closed through March 30th Burleson ISD will remain closed until April 5th. Granbury ISD announced late Friday that it would close schools for the week of March 16-20th. The Superintendent released a statement saying they would reevaluate the situation weekly. Most Parker County schools are on Spring Break this week but will stay off the following two weeks. Glen Rose ISD plans to return to class on March 23rd but will monitor the situation. There are no reported cases of Coronavirus in Somervell County.
Weatherford ISD is out for the next three weeks. To help families in their district get through it, the district posted on Facebook about several special offers for families K-12 families during this period of school closings. For example, Charter Spectrum is offering free access to Spectrum Broadband and Wi-Fi for 60 days for new K-12 households and free learning activities from Scholastic Teachers.