In Friday’s executive order, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced all schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year. The announcement came as a bit of a bummer for some local students and faculty.
When students and faculty went home for Spring Break in mid-March, most didn’t realize that would be the last time they saw each other for a while.
“We were expecting to all come back the following week, and it's very sad that we can't now,” said Carroll High School senior Noah Luna.
Luna was supposed to be walking the halls and celebrating his senior year of high school. Instead Abbott said it’s still unsafe for students to gather in schools, colleges and universities.
“I was, at first, very sad of course, because I'm not going to experience the traditions that other classes have had, like senior pep rally, graduation and final assembly,” Luna said.
Abbott said all classes can still be held online, and teachers are allowed to return to the classroom for online teaching or to clean out their classroom.
Meanwhile, missing being in a classroom setting goes both ways.
In fact, teachers at the School of Science and Technology held a reverse parade Friday evening to say ‘hi’ to all their students they haven’t seen in more than a month.
“I miss my kids and I am ready to get back to my classroom, so I'm really upset that we're closed for the year,” said School of Science and Technology high-school teacher Katie Sheehan.
One-by-one, more than 50 cars of students and parents lined up to drive past all the teachers. Some made signs and others decorated their vehicles.
Although it was all smiles and waves during the reserve parade, teachers and students believe closing schools for the rest of the year was the right choice.
“I think that this disease is so unpredictable, and there are still a lot of things that we don't know,” said Erin Cofer, another high school teacher. “I do think that was the right decision.”
“I know me and my class, we’re going to break out a new map and figure out where we're going to go together, as a whole. We're in this together and we’ll come out on top of this.”
KRIS 6 also reached out to CCISD, and a spokesperson there says they’ll be getting guidance from the Texas Education Agency on how to move forward with senior graduation ceremonies. The district is also finalizing a plan for grading for the remainder of the school year.