By Sahar Chmais
Just two weeks into the school year, Hays CISD has closed some classrooms due to the spread of COVID-19.
On Aug. 27, District 4 Hays CISD Trustee Merideth Keller posted on Facebook notifying the community about classroom closures in the district, but did not specify which schools or how many classrooms were closed.
One fifth grade classroom in Elm Grove closed yesterday, with five positive student cases, was confirmed by Hays CISD Chief Communication Officer Tim Savoy. The students were put on remote conferencing for 10 days.
In Keller’s post, she pleaded for parents to send their kids to school in masks.
“Please just do it,” her post reads. “Even if you don’t want to do it. Even if you think your chances are real good that you won’t die or that other people can mask if they are the scared ones or if it feels uncomfortable for a minute. Please mask up your kids.”
Keller said she wants kids to attend school. They should be in class and attending pep rallies, football games, outside recess outdoors, to have lunch with friends and receive their education, she added.
“I know that I’m going to get the push back from folks that just don’t believe in it,” Keller wrote. “That’s okay. I can take it. What I can’t take is closing classrooms for a virus that can be mitigated by mask wearing.”
Hays CISD does not enforce a mask policy, as per Gov. Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-36, but they have recommended that students and staff wear their masks on campus.
The current number of COVID-19 cases is unknown in Hays CISD, as the district only updates infections every Monday.
