K-12 schools throughout Ohio will be closed until at least May 1 as the state continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday.
DeWine made the announcement during his regular 2 p.m. press conference, noting that Dr. Amy Acton, director of health for the Ohio Department of Health, will be signing an order extending the school closure to May.
“We originally rolled out an order that separated our students from the physical classrooms for three weeks,” DeWine said. “We are today giving an additional order that Dr. Acton will sign that will take this to May 1, which happens to be a Friday. We will reevaluate this as we get closer to May 1.”
The original order was issued on March 12 and closed K-12 school buildings from March 17 through April 3, with school set to resume April 6.
DeWine said the extension order was formalized Monday to give districts, parents, and students time to make arrangements.
“This should not be a surprise to anyone, but I wanted to clarify that today and get that out so everybody knows how to plan,” DeWine said. “I want to thank the teachers, administrators; you are doing a phenomenal job under very difficult circumstances. I want to thank the parents and students; this is a problem not of our making, but it’s a problem you all have stepped up to and are doing a great job. Thank you very much for that great, great work.”
Since the March 12 announcement, Delaware County schools have been doing online or at-home learning.
Following the order that will keep K-12 schools closed through at least April, Delaware City Schools Director of Communication Jennifer Ruhe said the district had already been preparing for an extended closure.
“First and foremost we want our families and staff to enjoy this spring break week, to take a break from school work and enjoy family activities,” Ruhe said. “We will continue with our current learning plan when we return from spring break for April 6-9, but we will communicate a slightly revised plan that will start on April 13.”
