Updated Puget Sound area school closures for coronavirus concerns
Mar 2, 2020, 6:13 PM | Updated: Oct 8, 2024, 7:37 am
Following a handful of school closures to start the week, more closures have been announced Wednesday.
Live updates: Gov. Inslee pleads with sick people to stay home from work
Over 10 schools are closed Wednesday in response to the coronavirus outbreak. In Snohomish County, Bothell’s Frank Love Elementary remains closed for its third straight day.
Kentwood High School and Covington Elementary School were closed Monday and remain closed on Tuesday for additional cleaning.
All schools in the Northshore School District are closed Tuesday for cleaning and to provide staff training on remote learning. Frank Love Elementary was closed Monday, and is closed again Tuesday.
In the Marysville School District, Grove Elementary School and Early Learning Center is shut down for disinfecting.
The Lake Washington Institute of Technology will be closed for disinfecting and cleaning, expected to reopen Wednesday. Students and faculty had visited the Life Care Center in Kirkland last week, and these individuals are now in self-quarantine for 14 days. The Public Health department still believes that the risk to the campus community is low.
Also closed for cleaning Tuesday is Mountain View Elementary in the Shelton School District, and Kirkland SDA/Puget Sound Adventist.
Eastside Preparatory School in Kirkland, Wash., announced Tuesday it will be implementing distance learning through spring break. School will take place online through March 27, 2020, with classes on campus expected to restart April 13.
“While we have no known or suspected cases of the COVID-19 virus in our community, we do not feel it is prudent to wait until there is a known case to take action,” according to a public statement on the school’s website.
Chris Reykdal, the state superintendent of public instruction, told KIRO Radio his office is taking cues from the local county health departments regarding school closures. Local superintendents can make the decision to close schools on their own, which some have done out of caution, he said.
Local health departments have not yet recommended any closures and are considering many variables besides just a school closure.
“What happens to out students when they are out of school?” Reykdal asked. “Do our high school students all go home? Do they go into common places where they are also at risk?”
Reykdal reiterated the importance of personal hygiene for parents and students. His advice was to “prepare like you would for any flu season but with more diligence,” and to make sure you’re getting facts from a trusted source like the state department of health or your county health department, not social media.
Confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths across Washington state
This article will be updated with additional school closures as announced.
