Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases that came with the Omicron variant, Lancaster ISD students will not be resuming in-person classes this week as scheduled.
The district said it would resume virtual classes on Wednesday, in place of the initial plan to continue in-person classes on Tuesday, January 4. According to the district, it decided to stall the initial Tuesday resumption so that parents and guardians can prepare their children to start virtual learning the next day. Parents or guardians might have to secure child care in advance.
Classes in the district will continue virtually until at least Friday. Students are scheduled to resume in-person learning on January 10, which the district considers its projected in-person return date.
The district announced its decision to resume virtual learning in a Facebook post on December 31.
“Decisions to close our schools are only made after very careful consideration. In this case, our health services department has remained updated on the current COVID-19 trends in our community, and we believe this is the best option for our school district,” the district said.
The district explains that its Leadership and Health Services teams have monitored the current surge in COVID-19 cases. “Currently, Dallas County’s COVID-19 risk level is listed as red, local hospitals have a limited number of beds, and several individuals within our community have unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19,” the statement read.
Lancaster ISD also said it would confirm the projected in-person return date via email after reassessing the situation on January 7.