Waco High School will close all in-person instruction starting at 1 p.m. on Monday due to COVID outbreaks.
James Stewart, principal of Waco High School, sent the following message to Waco High families and employees:
“Waco High School will close for in-person instruction at 1 p.m. today (Monday, Nov. 9) and transition to fully remote instruction. The campus will remain closed for in-person instruction through Friday. At this time, we plan to reopen for in-person instruction on Monday, Nov. 16.
“We started the school day with 21 teachers out following close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, waiting for test results, or for other reasons. Since then, we learned that another person, who has been on our campus, tested positive and that 11 more teachers will have to quarantine as a result. While most of our teachers who are out are able to teach remotely, after this most recent case, the total number of employees out does present a challenge for appropriately supervising students without bringing large groups of students together in the same space. For that reason, we decided to transition to fully remote instruction starting this afternoon.
“Today, we will begin dismissing in-person students at 1 p.m. We will follow our normal dismissal procedures, and buses will run their regular routes starting at 1 p.m. If you pick up your student, please do so as close to 1 p.m. as possible.
“All of our in-person students have a laptop that they take home with them each day. If there are any in-person students without internet access at home that do not already have a mobile hotspot, they can check one out by contacting the campus. If you need technical assistance with a student’s laptop or a mobile hotspot, you can reach our student help desk between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday by calling 254-284-1072.
“We are continuing to work closely with the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District. All areas of the campus will be deep cleaned and sanitized using hospital-grade disinfectants before the campus reopens for in-person instruction.
“Free COVID-19 testing is available in our community, and I would encourage you to consider taking advantage of it. You can find a list of community testing sites and hours at covidwaco.com [covidwaco.com]. Please note that pre-registration is required.
“Thank you for helping us make this second transition to remote learning as smooth as possible for our students. As always, if there is something that your student needs to be successful, please let us know.”
