In an attempt to further the act of social distancing and to continue taking steps to keep the community safe, Gov. Gregg Abbot has extended the closure of schools across the state until May 4. Yesterday afternoon, superintendent Dr. Michael Goddard sent out a video where he announced the extension and discussed plans for the upcoming month.

“[The] Leaping into at-home learning site will continue to ramp up on the academic side,” Goddard said. “We have been purposeful as we’ve taken the steps to take time as we’ve rolled into online learning and make sure people adapted to it. You’re going to see a lot more assignments and things that are coming on.”

For updates and details on academics, parents and students can check the Leaping into @Home Learning site each Monday at 9 a.m. Students will also be able to connect with teachers on Zoom during each teacher’s designated office hours.

“I use Zoom for dual credit statistics and it helps me learn for our exams,” senior Emily Lawler said. “I am more efficient at home and get my assignments for the week done in a few days.”

In addition to navigating new ways to learn from home, it also gives students the opportunity to spend time with their families and remain healthy.

“Even though this closure will be extended, we can continue to connect even though we’re not directly close to each other physically,” Goddard said. “We can continue to connect socially. I’ve had the chance to meet more of my neighbors just from a little bit of distance than I ever would have before, had I not had this opportunity. I hope [the community] is doing the same.”