Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday announced that beginning Monday all K-12 schools in Pennsylvania will be closed for at least two weeks amid mounting concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
‘We understand that these are trying times and recognize the impact of the coronavirus on our students and communities,’ Wolf said.
‘First and foremost, my top priority as governor – and that of our education leaders – must be to ensure the health and safety of our students and school communities.’
Schools will be closed from March 16 through March 27 and in the interim the state will decide if a longer closure is necessary.
Wolf said that school districts will not be penalized if they do not meet the required minimum of 180 days of instruction for the 2019-20 academic year, so it’s possible schools might not have to stay in session far beyond their planned end date.
‘The Department of Education will work with intermediate units and other stakeholders to support school districts with any continuity of learning plans they may be pursuing,’ Wolf said.
State College Area School District already announced earlier this week that classes would be canceled for March 16-20. Prior to Friday, the other four Centre County school districts said they were awaiting further guidance from the state.
SCASD also said it would offer free breakfast and lunch to all district students throughout next week. On Friday, Wolf said the Department of Education received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture ‘to allow eligible schools to serve meals to low income students in a non-congregate setting, such as a drive-through or grab and go, during this closure.’
Pennsylvania has 33 cases of COVID-19 as of Friday afternoon, none in Centre County. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said she expects the number of cases to continue to grow over the coming weeks.
