Two schools in the Sheldon (Texas) district that were heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey will remain indefinitely closed.
The Houston Chronicle reports that C.E. King middle and high schools, which are on the same tract of land in the northeast part of Harris County, are likely to remain closed for several weeks, and could be shuttered for the entire fall semester,
"Because the floods hit so bad there, this will allow us to give contractors free rein in the building and hopefully get everything fixed up quicker," district spokesman Derik Moore says.
Students from those schools will be relocated to other campuses.
C.E. King High School's 2,300 students will be split between two campuses. Those in grades 9 and 10 will attend class at Sheldon Early Childhood Academy, and 11th- and 12th- graders will attend class at Sheldon Elementary School.
In turn, Sheldon Early Childhood Academy's students will be dispersed among four locations, and Sheldon Elementary School students will attend class at Royalwood Church.
The 1,000 students from C.E. King Middle School will go to Null Middle School, where a split schedule will be put in place. King students will take classes in the morning, and Null students will come to class in the afternoon.
The district serves about 9,000 students. It resumed classes Monday and was the last Houston-area district to reopen its schools following Hurricane Harvey.
District officials believe they will fulfill state attendance requirements without extending the school year, largely by eliminating scheduled half days and early-release days. State law mandates students receive at least 75,600 minutes of instructional time per year.
