Home
News

Gov. Jay Inslee closes all Washington public schools March 16 through April 24

Date:
in: News, COVID-19

Decision due to help the state and nation combat the spread of the coronavirus

VANCOUVER — Gov. Jay Inslee has directed all Washington state public schools to close to help the state and nation combat the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Gov. Jay Inslee is shown here in this stock photo. On Friday, the governor announced the closure of all public schools in Washington beginning Mon., March 16 through April 24. Stock photo
Gov. Jay Inslee is shown here in this stock photo. On Friday, the governor announced the closure of all public schools in Washington beginning Mon., March 16 through April 24. Stock photo

Vancouver Public Schools was the first to issue a news release Friday afternoon confirming it will be closing all its schools Mon., March 16, through Fri. April 24.

“We take any decision to close schools very seriously, recognizing that closures can pose difficulties for families and disrupt children’s education,’’ said Vancouver Public Schools Superintendent Steve Webb in the news release.

Webb asked his district’s patrons to review the following important information:

• Effective at the end of school today and throughout the closure, all athletics and morning/afternoon/evening and weekend school activities will be canceled. 

• VPS will provide meals to all students affected by emergency school closures beginning Mon., March 16. Sack lunches will be distributed to students between 10 a.m. and noon at the front of the following schools:

Anderson Elementary, 2215 NE 104th St.

Fruit Valley Elementary, 3410 NW Fruit Valley Rd.

Ogden Elementary School, 3200 NE 86th Ave.

Roosevelt Elementary, 2921 Falk Rd.

Washington Elementary School, 2908 S St.

Discovery Middle School, 800 E. 40th St. 

Jason Lee Middle School, 8500 NW 9th Ave.

McLoughlin Middle School, 5802 MacArthur Blvd.

• Educational Service District 112 childcare centers will continue to operate in VPS.

• Missed school days will be made up at the end of the school year. The make-up days will be: June 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. The state will issue waivers for the balance of the missed days. Graduation dates will not be impacted. 

“We know that students, families and staff will have questions,’’ said Webb, who stated the district will continue to provide updates via several methods:

• Email

• Text message

• Phone call

• Mobile app notification

• VPS website updates

• Social media: Facebook, Twitter

• Info line: (360) 313-1401

“Thank you for your understanding and patience as we address this unprecedented situation,’’ Webb said. “We are committed to the safety and well-being of our students, their families, our staff members, volunteers and community.

“Please continue to take care of yourselves and one another,’’ Webb added. We are a resilient community, and I know that we will get through this challenging time together.’’

Evergreen Public Schools

Evergreen Public Schools sent the following information to students, families and staff today from Superintendent Mike Merlino:

To help our state and nation combat the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced all schools in the state are closing through Friday, April 24. Evergreen Public Schools will close at the end of today, Friday, March 13 and plan to reopen on Monday, April 27.

This closure is a decision that did not come lightly,” Inslee said. “Health officials have said closing schools could create a significant cut in the peak number of infections.” 

Please review the following important information as it relates to the closure in Evergreen Public Schools:

  • Effective immediately and throughout the closure, all school-sponsored activities are canceled including athletics and morning/afternoon/evening school activities. 
  • EPS will make student meals available. The district will inform families by Monday about the distribution methods starting on Tuesday.
  • We are working with our childcare providers to ensure they can remain open at our school sites
  • The first eight missed school days will be made up at the end of the school year.The make-up days will be: June 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. The district will apply for a state waiver for the remainder. 
  • We will continue to provide updates via a number of methods:
    • Email
    • Phone call
    • Evergreen website
    • Social media
    • Info lines: 360-604-3637 (English) 360-604-4028 (Russian) 360-604-4029 (Spanish) 

We know families will have many questions, so we will be using the above methods to answer and share Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we address this unprecedented public health situation. We are committed to the safety and well-being of our students, families, staff members, volunteers and community. 

Information provided by Vancouver Public Schools and Evergreen Public Schools.

Tags: