COVID closes MISD schools; MMS to reopen Oct 5

Like many school districts across Texas, Marlin ISD has put a number of procedures in place to help mitigate COVID-19 within schools, including closing a campus or the entire district if needed.

This was the case last week, as after exceeding one percent of a positive district population, it was decided by district leaders that Marlin Junior Academy and Marlin High School would be closed to in-person instruction from Wednesday, Sept. 23 until Friday, Sept. 25.

Parents had been receiving phone calls for more than a week, detailing each new case. 

The first reported case was found at Marlin Middle School on Sept. 10. Just five days later, on Sept. 15, the first case arose at the High School, then the Elementary School on Sept. 23.

The two campuses switched to operating via Marlin Virtual Academy for these three days, reminding the community how essential the one-to-one technology ratio is within the district. 

“This decision to transition to remote only instruction for the two campuses was not reached lightly and was made solely with an abundance of caution and respect for you and our students,” Superintendent Darryl Henson told staff in a mass email.

A number of google chrome devices, as well as mobile hotspots, were purchased since the start of the pandemic, ensuring that if coronavirus-related events continued to strike, the district would be ready. 

Educators are facing the expected challenges during the back and forth transition of in-person and digital instruction. 

“The transition has been seamless for some teachers and students, while it has been a struggle for others,” Henson disclosed to The Marlin Democrat. “Teachers who were already using a blended model of instruction (traditional combined with Google Classroom) were able to quickly acclimate to remote learning the next day.” 

Staff was available during school hours to assist students as needed, as well as district administrators carefully monitored new case reports while determining how to move forward.

Marlin High School returned to class as planned on Monday, Sept. 28, but Marlin Middle School students will continue with remote learning through Monday, Oct. 5.

Marlin High School, made up of 222 students, had a total of seven cases on Tuesday, Sept. 22, when the decision was made to close the campuses. Marlin Middle School, with 197 students, had six cases.

In the time since then, four additional cases have been reported, including the first at the elementary level. It’s no longer impacting solely the student population either, as two of the four newly reported cases were staff members. As of Sept. 25, there were 15 cases total within the district.

Overall, Marlin ISD staff and students have taken every precaution to limit the spread of the virus, while continuing to battle towards “The Takeoff.”

Classrooms have been set for physical distancing, both staff and students wear facial coverings where applicable, and a rigorous sanitation schedule has been observed.  

“As a school district, we have made a promise to our parents and students that we will always do our best to keep them safe, communicate effectively, and maintain academic rigor (in that order,)” said Henson. “These measures are not effective enough, if we do not also maintain that commitment to student and staff safety while away from our campuses.”

While out of class, custodial employees pulled out the elbow grease to disinfect the entirety of each of the closed campuses.

Henson says the district plans to continue monitoring the COVID levels. For up to date information on Marlin Independent School District, head to www.marlinisd.org.