Texas School Comes To A Halt As Teachers Die Due To COVID-19, 51 Test Positive

Connally Junior High School stays shut until the Labor holiday on Tuesday, owing to the deaths of two teachers who lost their lives due to COVID-19. The school logged in 51 confirmed cases since regular classes resumed on Aug. 18.

According to Fox News, Assistant Superintendent Jill Bottelberghe averred that the Connally Independent School District officials closed five of its suburban Waco schools on the account of deaths of two of their teachers identified. The teachers are Natalia Chansler, 41, a sixth-grade social studies teacher, and David McCormick, 59, a seventh-grade social studies teacher. Both the reported deaths had occurred barely a few days apart.

Connally ISD Superintendent Wesley Holt offered her heartfelt condolences and sympathies to students, family, and friends that were affected, KXXV.com reported.

It hasn’t been disclosed yet whether the deceased individuals were vaccinated or not. Moreover, despite there being a sudden uptick in the cases since the past couple of days, it is yet to be established as to whether the spike could be traced back to Chansler.

“We have not found any correlation between the two deaths,” Bottelberghe said to the media outlet. “They were at two different grade levels even though they worked under the same content area, but we have recognized that there has been an increase in the spread as far as throughout our student body at those two grade levels,” she added.

Things continue to appear grim, with parents and students gripped by fear due to the effects of the virus. The hope for a better tomorrow comes after taking into consideration that the ongoing holiday will offer a respite to the current scenario while giving school authorities the leeway to deep clean and sanitize all CISD facilities. The break will also serve as a recuperation period for those who’ve been infected by COVID-19 to isolate and recover.

As per the data obtained from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 15,400 cases were registered in Texas as of Sunday, marking an all-new average as far as daily cases are concerned.

The district will be offering optional COVID-19 rapid testing for students, parents, and staff to avail. A free vaccination drive is scheduled to take place on Sept. 13, from 5 pm to 7 pm in the Connally High School Gymnasium area for parents, students, and the community at large.