Pecan Grove Elementary closes due to COVID risk, district says

RICHMOND, Texas (KTRK) -- After more than week of classes, a Fort Bend ISD elementary school is closing its doors and shifting to online learning due to a "significant" risk of COVID-19 on campus.

According to a letter issued to all Pecan Grove Elementary parents and guardians, classes will be completely virtual for the remainder of the week starting Tuesday, Aug. 24.

The school day will start online at 9:30 a.m.

Students will tentatively return to face-to-face instruction on Monday, Aug. 30.

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The letter says the district's COVID response team looked into "a wide range of internal and external indicators" to determine the level of risk or disruptions to in-person classes.

"All data suggested a significant impact to our ability to adequately staff the campus and has caused an operational disruption that would prevent us from continuing face-to-face instruction at this time," read the letter.

According to the FBISD COVID dashboard, as of Monday evening, Pecan Grove Elementary has one case of COVID among its instructional staff and a total of 26 students with a positive case of the virus.

According to the dashboard, there are a total of 741 students at the school and 88 members of its staff.

Note: The district's website says these are cases reported from Aug. 13 to Aug. 22. It also says the dashboard is refreshed daily at 10 p.m.

"The duration of this transition is contingent upon campus staffing and several other internal and external environmental factors that are being monitored daily," read the letter.

Fort Bend ISD is encouraging families to use their own personal devices during the shift to online learning.

For those who may not have access to internet, the Fort Bend ISD Lending Library will make technology devices available for any student in need.

However, a limited number of mobile hot spots are available for families without internet.

The district encourages you to email Anne Arnold to request a technology device or mobile hot spot. Visit the Fort Bend ISD technology resources website for information and support.

The Extended Learning/Extended Day program will also be closed during the closure and will reopen once the school goes back to in-person learning.

The district said it will still provide grab-and-go meal service during the closure.

Meals will be served curbside at the bus ramp and parents must provide a student ID number to pick up meals for their students. Lunch will be provided on Tuesday, Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Breakfast and lunch meals will be provided on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. These meals are provided to FBISD students at no cost.

The district is encouraging staff and students to wear masks whether they are vaccinated or not.

This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.