BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — The Palm Beach County School District will be closed starting Monday.
The schools will remain closed indefinitely, however, Spring Break was already scheduled to start following the close of school on March 20th. Schools were also set to be closed on March 17th for Election Day.
School Superintendent Donald Fennoy said that district offices WILL remain open, and that — at this point — school is expected to resume after Spring Break.
Dr. Fennoy has also ordered school food services to provide food for those who are in need — details to follow.
—
OFFICIAL STATEMENT:
After continued consideration with Palm Beach County officials, the Florida Department of Health and my executive team, I have made the decision to close all Palm Beach County School District-operated schools effective Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27, 2020. During that time we will continually evaluate that timeline and make decisions that are in the best interest of our students.
Aftercare programs, extracurricular activities and sporting events are still scheduled for today. However, they will be canceled starting on Monday.
The SAT will still be administered Saturday, March 14 as planned. All in-state travel is canceled until further notice. International and out-of-state travel has already been canceled through the end of the school year.
This extended break will allow for the District to thoroughly clean and sanitize our schools, offices, and buses. During this time, District leadership will also take the opportunity to assess how to best transition to digital, remote learning in the event that we must remain closed for an extended period of time.
We want to ensure that we can continue to offer high-quality instruction to students during an extended school closure, and reaching all of our students is critical to achieving this. Please fill out this technology survey to help us assess your family’s needs for digital support should we need to remain closed beyond March 27.
It is important to be aware that I have instructed School Food Service to make food available to families who need it. As this is a rapidly-evolving situation, we are working out details as to how we can best serve our community. We will provide updates on food services as soon as they are available.
Voting is still scheduled for Tuesday, March 17 in the schools designated as polling locations.
Please be reminded that the District has a dedicated Coronavirus website at PalmBeachSchools.org/Coronavirus. We also have a Coronavirus hotline available to answer school-related questions. That hotline is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 561-969-5840. Representatives are available to answer questions in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole.
Parents, I assure you that this decision was not made without consideration for all of our families. However, the safety and welfare of our students and staff remain our top priority.
Thank you for your continued support of the School District of Palm Beach County.
