MISSION — Sharyland ISD announced schools will be closed next Monday and Tuesday due to a rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases across all district campuses and facilities.
Students won’t be required to attend virtual instruction for those two days, Superintendent Maria Vidaurri wrote in a statement, and much of the district’s staff will use the time for remote planning and preparation.
Other staff, it appears, will be spending Monday and Tuesday cleaning.
“During this extended weekend, our auxiliary team will implement a thorough sanitization/sterilization and disease transmission remediation process in all of our facilities,” Vidaurri wrote.
The district reported 205 positive student cases and 70 positive staff cases for the week of Jan. 1- Jan.7, by far the largest amount of positives in a week reported by the district since August.
Last week’s 275 cases account for over 40% of the cases reported by the district this school year.
The district’s COVID-19 dashboard had not been updated with more recent numbers as of press time Friday.
“The decision to close our schools was not easy, but it is in the best health interest of all of our students, staff, and the entire community and to offer respite as we navigate the current Omicron surge,” Vidaurri wrote. “We respectfully encourage you to control the spread and flatten the curve in our community by wearing a mask, disinfecting your hands, keeping a safe social distance, and limiting your congregation.”
Sharyland is not the first Hidalgo County school district to announce a closure prompted by the pandemic.
On Wednesday, La Villa ISD announced a two-day closure and a sanitizing strategy similar to Sharyland’s.
Mercedes and Weslaco school districts both opted to delay their return to campus, and other districts in the area have reported staffing shortages and have approved extra leave for COVID-isolated employees.
So far this school year, Hidalgo County has reported 1,676 cases of the coronavirus among school staff in the county and 5,848 cases among students.
