Hays CISD temporarily closes Tobias Elementary due to high COVID cases

With 10% of its population infected with COVID-19, all classes at Tobias Elementary have moved to remote conferencing until Monday, Sept. 20.

As of Sept. 15, Hays CISD reported at least 74 students and staff members at Tobias Elementary have tested positive with the coronavirus - the district has experienced 693 reported cases since the start of this in-person school year.

“We have made this decision in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 on your campus and protect the health of students and staff,” officials said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to Hays CISD, when 10% or more of a classroom or school population has COVID-19, the class or school enters remote conferencing mode. Since September 7, nine classrooms at Tobias Elementary have been closed.

Hays CISD has had a total of 19 classroom closures since the start of the school year, however, Tobias Elementary is the first campus in the district to close entirely due to COVID-19.

“Our number one goal is to keep everyone safe while maintaining the educational integrity in our classrooms,” officials said in a statement. “Closing classrooms has been critical to maintaining safety in about a dozen cases in our district so far this year. We continue to encourage masks as we have said we would do.”

Additionally, an eighth-grade class at Chapa Middle School and a fourth-grade class at Negley Elementary are still currently in remote conferencing as of Wednesday after also closing due to COVID positive cases. The district will provide breakfast and lunch curbside meals for all students in a closed classroom until its reopening.

Notably, cleaning and safety protocols will increase as students return to class, district officials said.