Garner ISD closing for rest of week as sickness spreads

WEATHERFORD, Texas - A North Texas school district is closing for the rest of the week as an illness has spread through students and staff members.

Garner ISD in Weatherford said it reached a threshold of both sick students and staff members where they had to close.

The school district closed on Wednesday, Jan. 24 and will not reopen until Monday, Jan. 29.

READ MORE: Another North Texas school district closed Friday due to widespread illness

Garner ISD Superintendent Rebecca Hallmark says the district has just under 370 students.

"Any day that is 10% less students in attendance than the average daily attendance of the prior year, you really start looking at wavering that day for attendance because we’re paid based on attendance," she explained.

Hallmark hopes the closure gives students and staff enough time to get well and the district the opportunity to sanitize the facilities. 

"We started the day {Tuesday} with about 56 students out. And out of 367 students, that’s a pretty big chunk. So we started watching," she said.

Hallmark says by 2 p.m. Tuesday, schools sent over 30 more students home.  She says most symptoms were fever and headaches. Flu diagnosis was reported. 

"What really affects us on whether we can stay open or not is if we have available staff," she said. "Because what starts happening is teachers have kids, too. Parent professionals have kids here, too. They start having to go home." 

Hallmark says they have to have at least one adult per 20 kids. 

"Sometimes you can put some groups together. But at that point, you start spreading the illness," she said.

Hallmark also says the future of this week’s JV boys basketball tournament will depend on how many people are sick.

"If you have enough players to conceivably play a game, you must play a district game. You really can’t make that call until the day off," she said.

Parents are asked to keep their children home if they’re sick and to not allow them to return until they are fever-free for 24 hours. 

Garner Baptist Church is stepping up, making a food pantry available to families during the school closure.  

Garner ISD is not the only Texas school forced to close due to illness.

Olney ISD, which is about 50 miles south of Wichita Falls, had to close on Tuesday and Wednesday because of sicknesses.

Children's Health said that flu cases at its hospitals rose by 40% during the week of January 14.