Austin ISD closes facilities, open spaces to the public due to COVID-19

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin ISD will be closing all of its facilities and open spaces to the public.

The closures will go into effect at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 9 and will likely remain closed until further notice. The closures affect all district facilities and open space, which include tennis courts, tracks, football fields, basketball courts and playfields.

The district says the closures are in alignment with the City of Austin and Travis County's Stay-Home-Work Safe order.

The closures are just the latest in Austin ISD's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this week, Austin ISD trustees passed a series of resolutions, one of them changing how grades are recorded this spring.

Austin ISD launches mobile WiFi buses to help students with distance learning

The district says the buses will be strategically positioned at apartments and neighborhoods in North and South Austin that have been identified as having the highest needs.

The district has also retrofitted its school buses with WiFi capabilities to help students with distance learning. The district says the buses will be strategically positioned at apartments and neighborhoods in North and South Austin that have been identified as having the highest needs. Anyone who uses the buses is to remain six feet apart and maintain social distancing, and students will not be allowed to board the bus.

In a letter last week, Superintendent Dr. Paul Cruz announced that the district will remain closed "for an indefinite period of time" and that the district's 129 campus buildings will remain closed "as part of the district's ongoing efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19."

Austin ISD votes to change how grades are recorded

Grades from this semester will not be calculated into GPAs.

"Today’s announcement is intended to give parents and educators as much certainty as possible so families can make decisions and plan," Cruz said in the letter. "While this is not the outcome we wanted for the close of the 2019-2020 school year, I am grateful for your partnership in our efforts to best prepare students for when our campuses reopen."

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