Stony Point High School has transitioned to all-virtual instruction through Nov. 30 due to the number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases and close contacts, the district announced late Nov. 16.
Nov. 23-27 remain student holidays, and the campus will reopen to students and staff Dec. 1.
The high school had three new positive cases for the week ending on Nov. 13 and 12 individuals report being in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, according to the district's COVID-19 dashboard, which is updated weekly. However, in a Nov. 16 statement on Facebook, the district reported nine new cases in one day. The high school has 28 total cumulative positive cases and 326 cumulative close contact reports since the start of optional in-person learning on Sept. 10, according to the dashboard.
During the temporary closure, all extracurricular activities will be placed on pause, the district confirmed in the release. In a Nov. 17 email to Community Impact Newspaper, RRISD spokesperson Maritza Gallaga said the campus closure also includes a suspension of all non-academic, extracurricular activities during the two week period.
"The length of time a campus remains closed is based on the recommendation from the health department in an effort to reduce transmission," the district wrote in the release. "During school closures, all areas of the campus will be deep cleaned and sanitized using hospital-grade disinfectants before the campus reopens for on-campus instruction."
Round Rock ISD works alongside Austin Public Health and Williamson County and Cities Health District in making decisions regarding COVID-19, per the release.
In a statement published on the district's Facebook page, RRISD officials said there is not a specific threshold that triggers a campus closure, and each situation is determined on a case-by-case basis.
"There is no specific number that schools need to achieve; decisions are made on an individual basis based on the facts of each case. Nine positive cases from SPHS were reported to WCCHD, the largest number of cases at any school in one day," the statement read.
Gallaga said RRISD works with local health agencies to evaluate positive cases, close contacts, on-campus enrollment and staff numbers to determine a campus' in-person status.
"The WCCHD also advised [RRISD] to transition to virtual as a result of the COVID-19 trends at the campus," Gallaga said in the email. "Ultimately, after taking all of that into consideration, we determined it would be in the best interests of students and staff safety to transition to virtual learning for two weeks."
The district's dashboard is updated each week on Fridays, with the last update recorded on Nov. 13. Nine new confirmed cases were reported since Nov. 13, according to the district's statement, its largest single-day uptick.
More information will be released on the district's website, Facebook page and Twitter account once it becomes available.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include further information from Round Rock ISD communication officials on how the district determines when to temporarily close a campus, as well as the status of extracurricular activities during temporary campus closures.
