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Across the United States, businesses and schools are closing in light of the spread of the novel coronavirus. With new cases being confirmed every day, it makes sense that the government would take steps to protect the children in this country.
Now it seems that many schools are making the tough decision to stay closed longer than just a few weeks as was previously reported. According to CNN, many states are preparing for the school year to be disrupted through the rest of the 2019-2020 academic year.
At this point, Florida has already closed schools through the end of this academic year because of the coronavirus outbreak. Arizona has already decided to suspend the use of makeup days, which would typically be used to makeup for lost learning time. While California has not made it official just yet, but they are warning parents to be prepared for their schools to be closed for the next few months as well. And these three states are not alone, as the New York Post reports that Kansas has also announced schools will remain shuttered for the rest of this school year.
With President Trump announcing that it is possible the coronavirus pandemic may not subside until August at the earliest, it makes sense that some states might make the decision not to reopen schools for this academic year. While this pandemic might be an evolving situation, at this point it seems that certain states are already being proactive in taking steps to protect the children in their state.
As the governor of Kansas, Laura Kelly, explained, this entire situation is not an easy one and the decision “came after close consultation with the education professionals who represent local school boards, school administrators and local teachers. These unprecedented circumstances threaten the safety of our students and the professionals who work with them every day and we must respond accordingly.”
Written by Kimberley Spinney
Sources:
CNN – Some schools closed for coronavirus in US are not going back for the rest of the academic year
New York Post – Schools in several states may not reopen until next year
Image Credit – Patrick Q’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License