Due to the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order to close down all public schools in Texas until May 4. 

The order, GA-14, was made to not only close down schools, but it also expects Texans to limit their personal interactions, while still being able to conduct their daily activities within the presidential standard of social distancing. According to Abbott, 42,922 Texans have been tested for the coronavirus, 3,266 Texans were confirmed positive and 41 Texans died because of the virus since noon. 

“Most of these numbers, very importantly, were the result of personal interactions of people in the state of Texas before the distancing practices that have gone into place the last couple of weeks,” Abbott said in a press conference.  “When you look around your community like I have here in Austin, or as I have seen videos and photographs from so many regions across the state of Texas, one thing that is clear; that is distancing practices that you all are doing, they’re working.”

Due to the mandated order, Conroe ISD Superintendent Dr. Curtis Null agreed to close down schools in the district until May 4, while still having hope to reopen later.

“I think for all of us in our community, we have this desire to get back to what we believe is normal,” Null said in a Facebook livestream. “If we get an opportunity here at the end of the year, even if it’s for three weeks, to get back to some semblance of normal before we go to the summer, we would like to do that.”

Null said that he knows that many students and families in the area are dealing with having their families sick and possibly dealing with loss of jobs, or other economic issues. 

“I want to encourage you all,” Null said. “That’s why that May 4 day is important to me, because of that word, hope. I think we all need to have hope and know that we’re going to get through this, it’s going to be better.”