COVID-19 Information
January 20, 2022
We want to inform you about our situation at school as it relates to COVID-19, and our status in staying open.
As of today, the district has two staff members on quarantine who will return next week, and there are seven students absent who are ill and unable to attend school. We are all aware of the closing of Pampa ISD and other area schools, and we are watching the situation very closely. That being said, for right now, the school will remain open and we will carry on with our regular schedule.
There is no magic number as far as how many students and staff need to be absent in order for us to close the school for a few days, but there are certain things we look at when making decisions. In September, we had gotten down to very few available staff members, and felt it was in the best interest of the school and our students to close for a few days. We had very few students absent during that time, so it was a unique situation.
When it comes to how many students need to be absent to close the school, we look at the number of students absent, but our biggest consideration is the overall safety of the students. For instance, the district has an enrollment of 45 students, and if 10-12 students are absent, that gives us an attendance rate of less than 80%. That would cause us to consider closing the school for a few days, particularly if the absence were due to COVID-19. That being said, it doesn't mean we will wait for that number to be absent before calling school off, particularly if the illness seems to be spreading more quickly.
We will keep you informed, and it may very well be necessary in the coming days or weeks to close the school, but once again, as of now, we are going to continue with our regular schedule.
As always, we greatly appreciate your help in monitoring the health of your children. Please continue to keep them home if they are ill or are showing signs or symptoms of illness, and let us kow if we can help you in any way.
Thank you,
Mr. Hargis
