Gov. Abbott extends school
closure through May 4

Texas Governor Greg Abbott amended his Executive Order, calling for all schools to remain closed in the state of Texas until May 4th. This means Birdville ISD facilities will be closed and all events/activities canceled until May 4; Online learning and the free lunch feeding stations will continue.

Governor Abbott was joined by Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, and Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath. The Executive Order for Texas mirrors an announcement recently made by President Donald Trump.

Although BISD has been following the recommendations of the Tarrant County Public Health Department, this new Executive Order officially extends the District’s April 17th closure announcement.

Today, Texas has 3,266 cases in 122 counties with 41 deaths. A total of 42,922 Texans have been tested, which means less than 10 percent have tested positive. In Tarrant County alone, there are 273 cases, 8 people who have recovered and one death. The US now has more than double the number of COVID-19 cases as China and leads all other countries with 163,539 cases. Health officials are projecting the state’s COVID-19 cases to peak around May 1. The Governor reported that only 2.4 percent of the state’s available hospital beds are currently being used.

Although the number of COVID-19 cases in our community is reportedly low, BISD is beginning to receive confirmation that some of our own employees, students, and their family members are coming down with symptoms and are now presumed positive for COVID-19. Exposure while at school is highly unlikely because the District has now been closed since Spring Break. However, the District is committed to continuing its deep cleaning and disinfecting procedures.