Less than three days after students headed home for spring break, Round Rock ISD officials released a statement extending the break until Friday, April 3, with students scheduled to return to schools on the following Monday, April 6. This decision comes in response to the escalation of the COVID-19 outbreak, and follows Austin Mayor Steve Adler’s recent decision to suspend all gatherings of over 250 people.

“There is a potential of schools remaining closed indefinitely as our state and nation respond to this global pandemic,” the statement released by the district read.

This closure also effectively cancels all UIL events, athletics, field trips, after-school programs and any other campus activities that were scheduled before April 3.

The district has not yet responded to more specific inquiries about future events, such as high school prom and graduation. However, Round Rock ISD is “currently finalizing a plan to deploy virtual learning, as well as the dissemination of a variety of learning options, to maintain instructional continuity” in the event of further campus closures.

Although the outcome of this year’s round of high school Advanced Placement (AP) testing remains unclear, Governor Greg Abbott announced that he would waive state requirements for this year’s State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exams.

RRISD is certainly not the first school district in the state to take such measures to keep students and faculty safe from contracting the Coronavirus. As of Sunday, March 15, 569 school districts had announced a closure of some form in response to COVID-19. Any further updates regarding the district’s decision will be posted here.