Beginning Monday, Alpine Independent School District officials say it's safe for students at Alpine High School to return to campus for in-person instruction.
The campus was originally supposed to be closed for two weeks after administrators said students were possibly exposed to two individuals with COVID-19.
Students at the Far West Texas school were going to stay at home with remote learning until Oct. 6. But in a letter to parents and guardians, district superintendent Rebecca McCutchen said through contact tracing and internal reviews, the district “determined that COVID-19 exposure to our students to be minimal.”
It appears guidance from the Texas Education Agency informed the school's shortened return. According to the agency's directive on attendance and enrollment, "campuses may only remain closed to on-campus instruction for up to five consecutive days..."
Since the on-campus cases were announced, the high school campus has been cleaned and disinfected.
McCutchen estimates roughly 90% of Alpine’s high school students are attending class in person this semester, while the remainder are staying home for remote learning.
