On a normal day, teachers and students fill the halls and classrooms of Ira Independent School District. But, the school was practically empty on Tuesday.

“We had, starting last week, about wednesday, we started having lots of kids that were sick,” principal Dale Jones says. “We had about 20 that were out on Wednesday, and each day that grew a little bit.”

According to Jones, students and teachers have reported cases of bronchitis, strep throat, flu, and pneumonia.

So, the school decided to take action, by cancelling school on Tuesday and Wednesday so that teachers and staff can disinfect all of the classrooms and common areas.

“We’re using the fogger with the disinfectant, we’ve sprayed all the classrooms, all the common areas, and we’ll do that tomorrow again, and hopefully kill everything that’s here,” Jones said.

Knowing that the school cares about the health of the students provides a peace of mind for parents like Macy Juarez.

“I know that they work really hard,” Juarez says. “I know they’re up there right now disinfecting everything, and it’s very important to them that all their students are healthy.”

Her daughter, Chloe is in kindergarten, where many students got sick.

“Well, six people were sick at our class,” Chloe says.

Macy, like many parents, is taking action at home so that the viruses don’t travel back to the school. Over the next couple of days, Macy and Chloe will be disinfecting backpacks, jackets, and any other items that will make their way back in the school.

As for the students education, Jones says that right now, their students health is their top priority, so that they can continue their education.

“You know, those kids weren’t here for their education anyway because they’re sick. So we need them healthy and here ready to learn,” Jones says.

According to the Scurry County Health Unit, 50 vaccines are available and the vaccination fee will be waived for Ira ISD students.