Safety concerns about the coronavirus have shut down schools temporarily in the Permian Basin.
Now ECISD volunteering programs have been shut down for the rest of the semester.
“It’s sad, it’s just really sad,” said Melinda Henderson, Junior Achievement executive director for the Permian Basin.
That is the general sentiment when you ask non-profits like Junior Achievement how they feel about not being able to work with students due to the coronavirus.
“It’s impacting us obviously very much because that is our entire way of doing business," Henderson said. "We are in the schools with our volunteers and now that’s completely halted."
Every year, Junior Achievement works with around 3,500 students from Kindergarten to high school, teaching them business skills like financial literacy and entrepreneurship.
But as of Monday night, ECISD told volunteer groups like Junior Achievement, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bookworms and Avid Leadership Coaching that they are canceling the volunteer led activities in the school district for the rest of the semester.
In an email to the volunteers the district writes, "ECISD leadership made this decision based on new information recieved from our ECISD community as well as new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control."
Henderson says her heart sank when she got the email.
“It just really hurt my heart because there’s so much that’s happening so quickly," Henderson said. "You can hardly digest one thing before then another announcement comes out.”
She says now it will be up to the teachers and faculty to compensate for what these programs add to the schools.
“Somehow get that information passed on through the teachers instead of through volunteers," Henderson said. "We have to have time to talk to teachers, principals, and right now everyone just needs to take a breath.”
Volunteers are taking a breath, hoping the COVID-19 situation comes to an end sooner rather than later.
Henderson says it is just a matter of time before MISD also does not allow volunteer groups the rest of the semester.
We reached out to the district to confirm and they did not get back to us with an answer.
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