El Dorado County schools announce closures through the end of school year

Schools in El Dorado County will remain closed for the rest of the school year to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to an announcement released by county El Dorado County Office of Education.

The 15 school districts, which include Buckeye Union, El Dorado Union High, and Lake Tahoe Unified School Districts, say they are taking a safety-first approach.

Thursday’s announcement makes it the first group of districts in the Sacramento four-county region to close campuses for the remainder of the academic year.

“While we recognize this extension of school facility closures poses challenges and hardship to many families in El Dorado County, the most effective way to slow and disrupt the transmission of this pandemic is by continuing to implement social distancing practices,” read the announcement.

The announcement came hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed in a news conference that schools should operate “with the expectation now that schools will not reopen” for the rest of the school year.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond sent a letter to all California school superintendents Tuesday suggesting students will not be able to return to school campuses by the end of the school year.

Both state officials’ comments were not directives or mandates, but they both acknowledged what many school leaders already believed would take place before summer.

District and school county officials, like El Dorado County, have the authority to make decisions for their students. El Dorado County schools were scheduled to return to classrooms in mid-April prior to Wednesday’s announcement. The districts are moving to a distance learning platform and students are completing the school year online.

This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 10:42 AM.