On Friday evening, officials recommended that all public schools across the state of Florida to remain closed until March 30 due to the coronavirus.
The order was issued by Florida’s Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran:
"Today, Richard Corcoran, Commissioner of the Florida Department of Education, provided strong recommendations for extending spring break following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issuing guidance specific to COVID-19 in Florida. As all Florida school districts and public charter schools have different schedules, please click here to see the recommended spring break changes for each district. In addition, the department also announced that the start of state testing will be delayed by a minimum of two weeks."
“Keeping students healthy and safe is my number one priority, and that is why we are recommending that districts follow the CDC’s guidance for Florida,” said Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran in a statement. “We are continuing to monitor COVID-19, and I encourage all Floridians to remain informed and take the necessary precautions that have been issued by the CDC.”
Hillsborough County Schools posted about the closures, reminding students, staff and parents that while they’re on spring break next week, they will not be returning until March 30.
The Fl. Dept of Education just gave the directive for all districts in Fl. to close schools for two weeks due to coronavirus.
— Hillsborough Schools (@HillsboroughSch) March 13, 2020
We are on Spring Break next week, so this means our students and staff will not be returning to school until March 30.
Updates at https://t.co/5q2MHuinEL pic.twitter.com/H8EjvMuBP4
In similar posts, Pasco County Public Schools, Pinellas Public Schools and Polk County Public Schools also confirmed the school closures for an additional week.
Along with the closure, schools are also canceling all extracurricular activities, and will conduct additional cleaning of all campuses.
At this point, it's unclear whether staff would be compensated during the closure.
Check out a list of events in Tampa Bay that have been canceled because of coronavirus.
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