UPDATE: Schools in the Van (Texas) district will be closed for the rest of the week as officials decide how it will accommodate displaced students and finish the school year without access to two of its schools.
A deadly tornado that touched down Sunday night in Van killed two area residents and injured dozens. It also seriously damaged J.E. Rhodes Elementary School and Van Intermediate School. Neither of those schools can be used for the rest of the school year.
Don Dunn, superintendent of the Van Independent School District, announced on the district's Facebook page Tuesday that Van is seeking a waiver from the Texas Education Agency that would allow the district to dismiss all pre-K through 3rd grade students for the remainder of the school year.
Dunn urged parents of pre-K through 3rd grade children to make plans for day care if the state grants the waiver.
Three district schools--Van Middle, Van Junior High and Van High School--were not damaged.
"The damages to Van ISD were all bricks and mortar," says Dunn. "Every bit of that can be replaced. We feel very blessed that this did not happen during a school day."
MORE: Video from ABC News:
