This has been a brutal flu season in North Texas. More than 40 people so far, and Tuesday, the announced it was closing for a week because of the flu outbreak.
The district, which is located about an hour northeast of Plano, said its because so many kids and staffers had come down with the flu. Schools will be shuttered starting Wednesday and reopen the following Wednesday, Jan. 24.
Sleet leading to a bad weather day is one thing, but a whole week is another. Jenna Hubbard, 14, is a Bonham district eighth grader. She and her mom spent part of her first day off at a Dairy Queen.
“I prayed about it — that the weather would be bad enough. Everyone’s like ‘Oh, it’s sleeting in Bonham.’ And God answered my prayer that we don’t have school for a whole week. So amen to that.”
McKayla Henry, 16, eating at the same lunch spot, offered a slightly different take.
“Of course I was excited, but then again, I was kind of upset that it got this far," she said. "I’m sad there are so many people actually going through this. They’re stuck in the hospital and they’re not able to get their education.”
Mom Tricia Hubbard, who works at home, says she’s at least able to watch the kids. Both teenagers are preparing for upcoming school competitions. McKayla will focus on drill team work while Jenna pulls out her flute for this weekend’s regional competition.
“I just plan on practicing a lot — and playing Minecraft,” Jenna Hubbard said.
Tricia Hubbard says the week off puts her and a lot of families in a tough spot, but she’s not complaining.
“I think they’ve made the right decision,” she said. “I think they’re taking the best interest of the kids and the teachers and the faculty.”
The Texas Education Agency has heard this before. Districts typically take some bad weather days off and even days for illness. Sunnyvale, just east of Dallas in December.
While an entire week off sounds rare, the TEA’s DeEtta Culbertson says it hasn’t been this bad in years.
“In 2009, the state experienced an outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus. At the end of that school year, we had 33 school districts that applied for low attendance waivers and 98 districts that applied for missed instructional day waivers. We did have school districts that on average were closed three to five days due to the flu virus.”
Besides classes, all evening activities have also been canceled or moved. District officials said that the days will not have to be made up.