Four campuses within the Port Arthur Independent School District will be closed when school resumes Monday, with one expected to open back-up Tuesday and the other three to remain closed through the Christmas break.
On Saturday, Memorial High School was notified a student involved in an extracurricular activity tested positive for COVID-19.
In order to mitigate the spread of the virus, Memorial High School and Career and Technology Education students and staff will close to in-person instruction and move to virtual instruction through Thursday (Dec. 17).
The district will be closed Dec. 18 through Jan. 3 for holiday break and will reopen Jan. 4.
All students are expected to continue their studies through the online portal.
According to the Port Arthur Independent School District, Port Acres and Lucian Adams elementary schools were made aware of positive COVID-19 and cases of potential exposure on Saturday.
“We have immediately implemented steps in our emergency response plan to minimize the impact,” a school district release to parents read.
“The school will transition to virtual learning for all students beginning Monday, December 14 through Thursday, December 17th. While closed, the campus will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.”
This weekend’s COVID closure news follows a similar update earlier in the week when PAISD officials announced in-person instruction at Abraham Lincoln Middle School closed Thursday (Dec. 10) with virtual instruction used through Monday (Dec. 14) after an individual tested positive for COVID-19.
The Abraham Lincoln Middle School campus is expected to reopen Tuesday, school officials said.
Students will return to the method of instruction chosen for the third nine-week grading period.
“We encourage parents and our employees to continue to implement safe practices, inside and outside of their homes, to reduce the spread of the virus,” a PAISD statement read.
