Several schools across North Texas have announced closures this week as flu cases and other illnesses continue to spread, leading to some big absentee counts among both students and staff.
The flu outbreaks have left some school leaders scrambling to contain the spread of sickness while ensuring the health and safety of everyone on campus.
At least two school districts and one charter school have shut down for the remainder of the week, with some extending closures into early February. According to multiple reports, these closures come after a stark rise in flu, RSV and COVID cases, with many students and staff members calling out sick or going home early after being exposed to other’s who are sick.
The following districts and schools have confirmed closures to the rising number of illnesses:
- Comanche ISD: Closed until January 30.
- Godley ISD: Closed until February 3.
- Treetops School International: Closed until February 3.
“Godley ISD will be closed for the rest of the week and will reopen on Monday, Feb. 3. Just today, almost 650 students were absent with all campuses reporting low attendance rates in the 70-80% range; several more students went home sick from school throughout the day,” Godley ISD wrote in a statement posted to their website. “We do not make this decision lightly, but the high number of staff and teacher absences – over 60 just today – prevents us from safely and effectively covering classes and other duties.”
Treetops School also posted to their website, saying, “The closure will enable us to deeply sanitize our facilities.”
Other districts, including Caddo Mills ISD, have also reported big absentee numbers, but remain open for now. Some districts that have remained open in North Texas have reported attendance rates between 70% and 80%, per Fox 4 News, far below normal levels.
Their have been a few signs showing the uptick in sicknesses for kids that have now spread across North Texas. In the last week of December the Children’s Medical Center of Plano said they saw 279 flu cases, a 93% increase from the week prior.