Tuolumne County School Closures Extended

Tuolumne County Superintendent Of Schools Office

Sonora, CA — Tuolumne County School closures have been extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cathy Parker the superintendent of schools relays that all public schools will be closed through April 13th with an anticipated re-open date of Tuesday, April 14th. That adds an additional two weeks after the spring break holiday, which runs the week of March 23-27^th. The reason for the extension is based on the top priority of keeping students, staff and the community safe states Parker.

Noting that Governor Gavin Newsom’s address Tuesday night sent shock waves through the community when he stated that schools would likely remain closed for the rest of the school year because of the new coronavirus, Parker addressed the concern, stating, “We wanted to assure parents that we have no intention at this time of closing school through the end of the year. We want to be prudent though and that’s why we extended the closure through April 13^th.”

Regarding student food programs she advises, “Food scarcity is always a concern in our community, and this has just really exacerbated that need. So, we want to assure parents that we will continue with nutrition programs not just through our regularly scheduled year, but also into spring break and beyond.” Click here for an earlier story on meal provisions.

Below is the entire release from the Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools office:

In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools, in collaboration with the county’s eleven school districts, are announcing plans to extend the school closures through April 13, 2020, with the anticipated return to classrooms on April 14th, depending on guidance from the Governor, CDE, and the State Department of Public Health.

Tuolumne County School Districts are working with our Community Partners to help deliver meals to families of school-age students (0-18) during this difficult time. Please visit our website at https://www.tcsos.us/newsroom/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-meal-distribution/ for information on how each district is distributing food to families. Cathy Parker stated, “We are collaborating across districts and with community partners to develop seamless nutrition options and are developing a plan with several districts to maintain food services over the scheduled spring break of 3/23- 3/27 for all children, 0-18, in Tuolumne County. Providing school meals in this time transcends district boundaries and we are focused on supporting students in Tuolumne County regardless of their school of attendance.”

TCSOS is partnering with the county’s districts to provide extended learning opportunities for students during the closure, including pulling together a county-wide task force that will develop short term and long-term plans and resources for educators and families to continue their education. Through this collaboration, we anticipate that nearly four hundred general and special education teachers will be working together to provide multiple options for our students that will include online, paper/pencil, broadcast, and other innovative methods to ensure students still have access to quality instruction and their teachers.

School administrators across the county appreciate the proactive illness prevention steps that our families and staff have taken over the last few weeks. Illness prevention steps make a significant difference in safeguarding the health of our communities, and we encourage continued attention in this effort.

Schools are closed to keep students away from each other, so they don’t spread germs to each other and to the community. These school closures should not be treated as spring or summer break. Parents and families should do their best to keep students away from each other and others. This means no large playdates, sleepovers, or parties. Parents should aim to keep their children active during the closure – taking them for walks, to the park, bike rides, and other outdoor or indoor fitness activities – but should strive to keep children out of large groups for the time being.