Van (Texas) School Superintendent Don Dunn discusses the damage sustained by two district campuses from a tornado that touched down Sunday night.
Van (Texas) School Superintendent Don Dunn discusses the damage sustained by two district campuses from a tornado that touched down Sunday night.
Van (Texas) School Superintendent Don Dunn discusses the damage sustained by two district campuses from a tornado that touched down Sunday night.
Van (Texas) School Superintendent Don Dunn discusses the damage sustained by two district campuses from a tornado that touched down Sunday night.
Van (Texas) School Superintendent Don Dunn discusses the damage sustained by two district campuses from a tornado that touched down Sunday night.

Schools in tornado-stricken Van, Texas, are closed for the rest of the week

May 12, 2015
Rhodes Elementary and Van Intermediate schools sustained serious damage and will be unavailable for the rest of the school year.

UPDATE: Schools in the Van (Texas) district will be closed for the rest of the week as officials decide how it will accommodate displaced students and finish the school year without access to two of its schools.

A deadly tornado that touched down Sunday night in Van killed two area residents and injured dozens. It also seriously damaged J.E. Rhodes Elementary School and Van Intermediate School. Neither of those schools can be used for the rest of the school year.

Don Dunn, superintendent of the Van Independent School District, announced on the district's Facebook page Tuesday that Van is seeking a waiver from the Texas Education Agency that would allow the district to dismiss all pre-K through 3rd grade students for the remainder of the school year.

Dunn urged parents of pre-K through 3rd grade children to make plans for day care if the state grants the waiver.

Three district schools--Van Middle, Van Junior High and Van High School--were not damaged. 

"The damages to Van ISD were all bricks and mortar," says Dunn. "Every bit of that can be replaced. We feel very blessed that this did not happen during a school day."

MORE: Video from ABC News:

Sponsored Recommendations

How to design flexible learning spaces that teachers love and use

Unlock the potential of flexible learning spaces with expert guidance from school districts and educational furniture providers. Discover how to seamlessly integrate adaptive ...

Blurring the Lines in Education Design: K–12 to Higher Ed to Corporate America

Discover the seamless integration of educational and corporate design principles, shaping tomorrow's leaders from kindergarten to boardroom. Explore innovative classroom layouts...

Room to Learn: Furniture Solutions for Education

Preparing students for the future. Utilizing our experience in the education market, we offer a dynamic selection of products that pair technology with furniture to help stimulate...

Transforming Education: A Case Study in Progressive Classroom Design

Discover how Workspace Interiors and the Baldwin School District reshaped learning environments in Long Island, New York, creating pedagogically responsive spaces that foster ...