Oregon’s Brown said it was a tough decision. „So many of our families depend on school in order for parents to go to their jobs, and for students to access health care and receive nutrition assistance,” she said in a statement.
“However, I have heard from superintendents, school board members, teachers, parents, and students that it has now become impossible to functionally operate schools due to workforce issues and student absences,“ she said. „Schools are experiencing critical shortages in staff, and superintendents are concerned for school personnel who are at elevated risk such as those over age 60 and those with underlying medical issues.“
In D.C., teachers and staff will report on Monday to plan for remote learning, and the schools then will be on spring break from March 17 to March 23. A previously planned spring break in April is canceled.
After that, students will shift to remote learning March 24 through the end of the month, with classes expected to resume on April 1, according to Bowser.
Charter schools in D.C. also are expected to close their doors through April 1 though their plans for remote learning and spring break may differ, Bowser said. D.C. libraries also will close beginning Monday and reopen April 1.
School student travel outside the District of Columbia also has been suspended through May 1, including out-of-state and international field trips.
In suburban Virginia just outside D.C., Arlington Public Schools and Falls Church City Public Schools announced they will close for a month, beginning on Monday. The „present plans“ are for the schools to remain closed through spring break, with students scheduled to return April 14, according to an email from the APS interim superintendent and FCCPS superintendent.
In New York, though, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday rebuffed calls for a statewide school closure.
“To do mass closings of schools is not without consequence,” Cuomo said at a press conference in New Rochelle, the city at the heart of New York’s coronavirus outbreak. “You close schools, now what do you do with those children who are home all day? You close schools, you now have parents who can’t go to work.”
Nick Niedzwiadek, Mackenzie Mays, Carla Marinucci , Andrew Atterbury and Nicole Gaudiano contributed to this report.
Source: politico.com
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