IOLA, Texas — Iola ISD is shutting down its high school due to exposure to COVID-19, according to the school district Thursday. School sporting events have also been canceled for the next two weeks.
This comes less than two weeks after students went back to school to begin the 2020-2021 year. Earlier this week, the district sent out a letter to parents, faculty and staff that three students in the secondary school had tested positive for COVID-19 on August 25. The district said all of the areas where the three individuals were on campus would be closed off and sanitized "using hospital grade disinfectant" before being opened to the public.
Two days after the initial three students tested positive, Principal Brian Fowler confirmed Thursday that an additional student at the secondary school also tested positive.
Students, staff and faculty who came into contact with the four students will be contacted individually. Fowler stated those individuals will not be allowed to come back to school until they quarantine for 14 days, beginning from the last exposure.
The high school will be closed beginning Friday, August 28 for deep cleaning, according to the notice, and there will be no classes for the secondary school. Students will be required to log in to remote learning on Monday, August 31 through Friday, September 4. The district is hoping to reopen the school on Tuesday, September 8, after the Labor Day weekend.
If a student is in need of help getting online and getting a device, they can contact school administrators to set something up.
While high school sporting events have been canceled for the next two weeks, junior high and elementary activities are still continuing as scheduled.
