Arissa Viering | 9/21/2020 | Goodday Mineral Wells | Mineral Wells High School Updates
UPDATE 9/21/2020 12:14 PM: Both district volleyball games this week have been postponed and will be rescheduled. The Lady Rams were set to play in the first district home opener against Vernon on Tuesday night (September 21) and at Iowa Park on Friday, September 25th.
MINERAL WELLS, TX – Per a public notice sent to all MWISD parents and families: “Out of an abundance of caution and due to the sudden spike in Covid-19 cases among our students, Mineral Wells High School will switch to 100% remote learning beginning on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. This shift to remote instruction will allow MWISD the opportunity to deep clean the entire campus and allow our students the opportunity to isolate themselves from those asymptomatic carriers of Covid-19. Students will return to campus on Monday, September 28, 2020. Teachers and staff will continue to report to work and be here to assist students with their online coursework.”
“All high school football games and practices this week have been canceled,” per Karyn Bullock, MWISD Communications Director. Furthermore, NHS inductions scheduled for this evening have been postponed. The Hunter Education classroom course that was scheduled at the high school September 21-23rd has also been canceled. Athletic Director Gerald Perry confirms high school football, cross-country, golf, team tennis, fall basketball, and fall baseball games have been postponed. Both district volleyball games this week have been postponed and will be rescheduled. The Lady Rams were set to play in the first district home opener against Vernon on Tuesday night (September 21) and at Iowa Park on Friday, September 25th.
Mineral Wells High School has reported 20 active, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 among staff and students. Active case totals reflect on-campus and virtual instruction regardless of whether the staff member or student was on campus during the infectious period. Those who have tested positive cannot return to campus until the required quarantine period is completed and a letter of good health from a physician’s office is submitted.
“Through our contact tracing, we have found out that many of these cases have been spread through social situations outside of school and that students are doing a good job inside school wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. So, we want to make sure parents and students know during this week while they are not at school, that they need to be very cognizant of adhering to the CDC guidelines to prevent further spread of COVID within our community.”
In a public statement on the MWISD Facebook page, the district stated: “The decision of remote learning for the week of September 22-24 only applies to Mineral Wells High School. MWJH and all elementary campuses will continue to offer in-person and online instruction. MWISD will continue to apply health and safety protocols to ensure the wellbeing of students and staff. Friday, September 25th is a student holiday and staff workday.”
The remainder of the Mineral Wells campuses will stay open for in-person learning. Community Christian School of Mineral Wells Principal Doug Jefferson states “We are aware that the public school has had to close the local high school. Keep in mind that the situations that they have to deal with are completely different than what we have to deal with. Keep in mind that we can’t even begin to compare the numbers between our school and their school. With that said, we are continuing to clean our school. We are continuing to do everything that we need to do in order to keep our school open. That is our commitment: to keep our school open as safely as possible. If it gets to a point where we cannot keep our school open safely, then we would look at the possibility of closing.”
At this time, there are no upcoming drive-thru COVID testing dates scheduled at Palo Pinto General Hospital. However, residents of Palo Pinto County are encouraged to call the PPGH Hotline if they are experiencing any symptoms.
Per CDC Guidelines, “CDC does not recommend the use of gaiters or face shields. Evaluation of these face covers is on-going but effectiveness is unknown at this time.” For further information about choosing an effective mask, please click here.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html
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