Update, Friday, March 13: The closure has been expanded to all schools across Washington state.
Update, Thursday, March 12, 1 p.m.: Gov. Jay Inslee has ordered that all schools in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties close until April 24. We realize this will be very disruptive to families. We'll do our best to help with ideas for staying safe, staying occupied and keeping some semblance of learning going on.
Amid increasing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, Seattle schools announced a closure beginning Thursday (March 12) and lasting at least 14 calendar days.
Superintendent Denise Juneau was to announce the news at an afternoon news conference. Other large districts announcing closures include Shoreline, Lake Washington and Bellevue. The Northshore School District previously had announced a switch to online instruction.
The Seattle district cited the following factors that it said made normal school operation no longer feasible:
- The increasing number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Seattle and the region
- An increasing number of our schools that need to be deep cleaned each day because of the potential of some sort of COVID-19 contact.
- Gov. Jay Inslee's order to increase social distancing and limit large group gatherings.
“Closing schools is the last thing we ever want to do, but, obviously, this is an unprecedented situation for Seattle Public Schools, the city and the world,” Juneau said in a statement. “The health and well-being of our students and staff is one of our top priorities and that’s a primary reason for the decision, but it’s also because of the potential wide reach COVID-19 can have given the size of our school district.”
The district has said it would not switch to an online-learning model because of the potential equity issues since not all families have the same access to technology and equipment.
There also has been concern about families who rely on free and reduced-price meals available through school nutrition programs, and officials said Wednesday they were working out details of how to continue to provide those services to students.
