COVID is disrupting some North Texas school schedules

Several North Texas school districts have canceled classes for the rest of the week, while others are now requiring students and staff to wear masks in response to a surge of new coronavirus cases.

Why it matters: Pediatric hospitals have reported an increase in positive COVID test results in the month since the first omicron case was reported in North Texas.

• Cook Children’s reports that about one in three children tested at the hospital system are positive for COVID.

Details: Richardson school officials this week decided to require everyone to wear a mask on campus. At the beginning of the semester, Dallas ISD extended its mask mandate until spring break.

• Boyd, Krum and Red Oak school districts canceled classes for the rest of the week, reports WFAA.

The big picture: Schools are required to report positive coronavirus cases to the state, but those cases are reported to the schools by the teachers or the parents of the students who test positive.

• It’s difficult to track coronavirus cases of children in Texas because ages are available in 3% of cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has reported an increase in COVID cases of children nationwide.

By the numbers: There are 149 children hospitalized with the coronavirus in North Texas, according to state health data.

• Statewide, there are 168 cases for every 100,000 people. Two weeks ago, there were fewer than 50 cases for every 100,000 people, which shows the rapid spread due to the omicron variant.