With more than one in four staff absent due to COVID-19, Salado ISD Superintendent Michael Novotny announced that the schools would be closed for the remainder of the week (Jan. 19-21) with classes returning Jan. 24.
“Our COVID-19 numbers are at an all-time high with our elementary school and middle school now over 5% COVID-19 positive within the last seven days,” Dr. Novotny stated.
Dr. Novotny reported to Salado Village Voice that 45 staff members are absent at the three campuses. Of that, 27 are absent at Thomas Arnold Elementary, which has a staff of 113. Eight are absent at Salado Middle School with a total staff of 64 and 10 are absent at Salado High School, with a total staff of 79.
The district has had a total of 103 cases of COVID-19 reported in the last seven days. Thomas Arnold reported 51 active cases as of Jan. 18, almost 5% of the total campus population. Salado Middle School reports 30 cases in the last seven days, almost 5% of the 624 total campus population of staff and students. Salado High School reports a total of 22 cases in the past seven days, about 3% of the campus population oof 755 students and staff,
“We are closing as a result of staffing shortages,” Dr. Novotny said. “Our teachers and other employees have done an incredible job this past week in spite of a significant and increasing number employees absent due to testing positive for COVID-19.”
“Many of our employees have been performing duties that are not part of their job description – covering classes for an absent teacher, helping with cafeteria duty, and driving school bus routes.”
“In spite of our best efforts, we are at a point in which we are unable to continue operating safely until more of our employees return from quarantine/isolation,” he added.
Dr. Novotny said that the district has enough extra minutes in the calendar that these three school days will not have to be made up.
The news of the school closure comes on the heels of last week’s move by the Bell County Public Health District to change the Covid-19 Threat Level from Level 2 (Significant) to Level 1 (Severe Uncontrolled Community Transmission).
This change is based on the rapidly increasing incidence rate, positivity rate, and surge in hospitalizations.
Bell County has continued to see a rapid rise in active cases since the threat level was adjusted on Jan. 4, and the incidence rate is now as high as it was in January 2021. One month ago, the incidence rate was 50 active cases per 100,000 population. As of Jan. 13, the last time the county COVID-19 Dashboard was updated, the incidence rate was 1,308.81 cases per 100,000. There were 4,750 active cases at that time with 844 being reported on Jan. 13 alone.
“The rapid rise in cases is largely attributable to the Omicron variant, which now accounts for over 90% of new cases in Bell County.,” stated Bell County Health District Interim Director Nikki Morrow. “Because of the increased spread and contagiousness of the Omicron variant, we strongly encourage full vaccination and a booster dose if eligible. The booster dose significantly enhances the immune response and helps protect against more severe disease and hospitalization. COVID-19 vaccines have been found to be very safe and effective and are being continuously monitored by the FDA with the most comprehensive and intense safety monitoring program in U.S. history.”
“The strain on the health care system is very concerning, as it affects not only people needing care for COVID-19 but also those who need care for strokes, heart attacks, and trauma or those needing cancer treatment or surgery”, says Dr. Janice Smith, Local Health Authority. “Our health care professionals continue to provide the highest quality care possible, but they need your help. Please do your part to help prevent further spread of this virus.”
“In addition to vaccination, we also encourage added layers of protection by wearing a mask especially when indoors, avoiding crowds, maintaining social distancing, and good hand washing.”
Please consult your health care provider or primary care physician for questions on COVID-19 vaccines. To find a COVID-19 vaccine near you or for frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 vaccines, please visit www.vaccines.gov, or call 1-800-232-0233. You can also TEXT your zip code to 438829 to find a vaccine location near you. To reach the COVID-19 Helpline, call 2-1-1 and select option 6, call 1-877-570-9779 or visit www.211texas.org.