The Austin Independent School District will not offer in-person classes when school begins on August 18, the district announced Tuesday. All classes will be held virtually during the first three weeks of the school year.
“The health and safety of our students and staff are at the forefront of all our decisions,” Superintendent Paul Cruz said in a statement. “Although the first day of school is August 18, we know that our teachers and staff need to inform the school weeks prior to that date. Given our public health conditions in Travis County, Austin ISD will suspend in-person education and will provide virtual instruction during the first three weeks of the 2020-21 school year. We will continue to look to federal, state and local authorities for guidance and directives. “
Round Rock ISD made a similar announcement Tuesday, saying the surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in central Texas make in-person education too dangerous.
The Texas Education Agency released a guide last week that said school districts must offer face-to-face and virtual classes for the 2020-2021 school year. But teachers and families backed down, saying it was not safe and that it would spread the coronavirus even further.
During a Travis County Commissioner Court meeting Tuesday, the interim authority for Austin Public Health said schools should not reopen until September 8 at the earliest. Dr. Mark Escott said that while COVID-19 death rates among children are relatively low, the number of school-age children in Travis County and the expected spread of the virus in schools could mean some alarming numbers.
“Somewhere close to 70 percent of students could become infected over the course of this illness,” he said, which “would equal 40 to 1,370 deaths” in Travis County.
That’s only among students and not among teachers and school staff in the most vulnerable age groups, he said.
Leander ISD, Eanes ISD, Pflugerville ISD, and other school districts across the state have sent letters to the TEA asking the agency to allow districts to do virtual learning until the seven-day average hospital stay is five or less. On Tuesday, the average was 69.6 per day in Austin.
Districts also asked the TEA to suspend the state standardized test and raise more funds to make changes to classes in person.
Gov. Greg Abbott told a television station in Houston Tuesday that the agency is expected to announce a change in its targeting that would allow school districts to offer online learning only if they consider it safer for their communities.
This story has been updated.
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