Hurricane Alex gives kids a break from tests

GALVESTON — Galveston school district has canceled summer school, summer camps and day care for the rest of the week as a safety precaution ahead of Alex, which was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday night.

The forecast calls for 3 to 6 inches of rain, high tides and possible flooding on the West End and along state Highway 87 on Bolivar Peninsula as the storm makes landfall in South Texas or Mexico.

District officials made the decision to cancel summer camps and summer school, including today’s administration of a state standardized test, after consulting with Galveston County emergency preparedness officials, district spokesman Johnston Farrow said.

All summer school classes, extracurricular activities and day care will be closed today through Friday and summer-school staff members are not to report to work for the three affected days.

The YMCA day care center will be closed and neither breakfast nor lunch will be served through the school district’s meal program.

The district’s support center will remain open.

All student activities, including the Summer Island Adventure Camp, will resume Tuesday.

Fifth- and eighth-grade students due to take today’s Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills reading test will take the test Tuesday.

The Texas Education Agency has approved the change of dates.

High Island school officials were expecting high tides, but there was no forecast on whether the tides would block access to the school.

Officials at Ambassadors Preparatory Academy and Satori School in Galveston were waiting on Tuesday evening weather forecast reports before making a decision on whether to close.

All other Galveston County school districts reported no closures.