Photo taken Monday, August 25, 2014 Guiseppe Barranco/@spotnewsshooter
Guiseppe Barranco/Photo Editor

Beaumont ISD has had its first school closure this year because of COVID-19.

Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School on Sunday afternoon announced it will be closed today through Friday this week.

According to a letter from the school posted to its Facebook page, the closure was brought on by the rising number of positive cases among staff and students.

“As you all know, COVID-19 is still spreading rapidly within our community,” the letter said. “This decision is in the best interest of the students, families and staff of King Middle School.”

The BISD COVID case tracker on Sunday afternoon did not list any active cases at the school. However, King is operated as a charter by Los Angeles-based Green Dot Public Schools.

King Principal Julia Rich directed media questions to Green Dot’s communications team. A representative for the charter operator could not be reached Sunday afternoon.

Across the district, BISD is reporting 67 active cases — 33 students, 16 teachers and 18 staff members.

While the school is closed, it will receive a deep cleaning, according to the letter.

It also urged parents to monitor their children for COVID-19 symptoms. School Nurse Julie Nezat will be conducting COVID-19 testing by appointment. Email jnezat@bmtisd.com for more information.

Learning packets can be retrieved from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

The letter urged parents with questions to call (409) 617-5850 from noon to 5 p.m. each day.

“Should your student remain healthy, we look forward to welcoming her/him back to campus on Monday August, 30th,” the letter concluded. “We will send out additional confirmation on Friday, August 27 confirming next steps on our return to school.

“Thank you for your cooperation with and commitment to ensuring the safety of all our students and staff.”

BISD officials chose Green Dot in September 2020 to run the school to keep it from shutting down.

A media representative for BISD on Sunday did not say if the Green Dot talked with the district before making the decision to shut down the school.

However, while the charter-operated schools remain under the district’s umbrella and operate as a public school, the charter partner is in charge of operations and staffing at its own school.

kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com

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