SEGUIN, Texas – Seguin ISD schools and offices will be closed Friday due to an increase in COVID-19 cases that the superintendent said “is prohibiting us from effectively operating our schools.”
In a message Thursday to the school district community on YouTube, Seguin ISD Superintendent Dr. Matthew Gutierrez said that a rise in employee absences and staff members testing positive for COVID-19 has resulted in teachers, aides and other vital campus staff having to cover multiple classes.
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“Office and support staff at our campuses have been negatively impacted. Simply put, our campus staff, despite their best efforts, have been spread thin,” Gutierrez said. “While I don’t take this decision lightly, we have no choice but to close Seguin ISD schools and offices for Friday, January 14, 2022.”
With schools and offices closed Friday and already being scheduled to close Monday for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, Gutierrez hopes that time will give staff time to recover and return to work on Tuesday.
During the long weekend, custodians will disinfect and deep-clean the campuses, he said.
“I encourage our school community to take this extra time to rest and recover and I look forward to a better outcome when we return on January 18,” Gutierrez said.
Planned extra-curricular activities through the weekend will continue as scheduled and a vaccination clinic set for Friday at Seguin High School will also take place, Gutierrez said.
According to the district’s website that provides the latest count of COVID-19 positive cases, as of Thursday, there are 72 positive cases of COVID-19 affecting staff members and 140 cases affecting students.
You can watch the video of Gutierrez’s announcement below: