Stanwood Camano School District to close Wednesday; Snohomish SD will reopen
Some Western Washington schools announced closures and others will reopen on Wednesday, March 11 amid the coronavirus outbreak. We'll update this page as we learn more from local districts:
Stanwood Camano School District
The Stanwood Camano School District said it would close all schools beginning Wednesday, March 11 through the rest of the week:
Out of an abundance of caution, the Stanwood-Camano School District will close schools beginning tomorrow, March 11, 2020 through the rest of the week so that we can assess the evolving situation in our community.
We know there are confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our community and that more individuals have been tested. We have not received contact from the health districts notifying us of confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 by students or staff in the Stanwood-Camano School District.
All school activities and athletic practices and competitions are cancelled.
Seattle: Aki Kurose Middle School
A staff member at Aki Kurose Middle School in Seattle tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. The Seattle School District said Aki Kurose will be closed on Wednesday, March 11:
In an abundance of caution, Aki Kurose Middle School will be closed until further notice. We are working directly with Public Health Seattle and King County and will follow Public Health’s recommendations when making decisions to reopen the school. Disinfectant and cleaning of the building and learning spaces will follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations.
Food distribution for all students will be available starting March 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the school campus. Food will be distributed Monday through Friday for the length of the school closure. Student food can be picked up on the school campus at the north driveway between the school building and park. Please enter the driveway from 39th Avenue South and exit on 42nd Avenue South to pick up lunches if you are driving.
Additional information will be shared Wednesday, March 11. For families with students attending other SPS schools, please remember that the district is excusing all absences at this time. If you have a child attending a high school or elementary school in SPS and they won’t be at school, please let the school know.
Tacoma Public Schools
Four schools in Tacoma also have closures this week after individuals tested "presumptive positive" for coronavirus at Sheridan Elementary, Lowell Elementary and Wilson High School.
Administrators said this is in addition to the presumptive positive test that forced the closure of Mary Lyon Elementary.
"The decision to close schools is not taken lightly. We know that family schedules often revolve around students. We also understand that this news can be upsetting," administrators wrote in the letter. "We will be in close communication with the health department and will communicate with you any additional information or guidance they provide."
According to Tacoma Public Schools:
Meridian School District
A staff member at a Meridian School District middle school in Whatcom County has been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, prompting officials to close all schools in the district on Tuesday, March 10, and Wednesday, March 11.
"Since our staff member has been in school all last week and today, they have been in contact with our other staff and students," Dr. James Everett, Meridian Schools Superintendent, said. "Given the size of our district, most of our staff wear many hats and interact with each of our buildings. Our middle school students visit the high school for athletics and math. All our students ride the same buses. Student and staff safety is our primary concern and it is this interconnectedness that has driven the decision to close the district for two days out of precaution."
Snohomish School District
All schools in the Snohomish School District were closed Tuesday, March 10, but will be back open on Wednesday, March 11.
The district said Tuesday that the employee who tested positive is quarantined:
As a point of clarification, this employee works in an office and does not have contact with any students. In addition, the Washington State Department of Health/Snohomish Health District completed its investigation and has determined that no other individuals in the Snohomish School District were identified as “close contacts” and there was no need for any student or staff member to be in quarantine.
Schools were closed today (Tuesday, March 10) because we needed to close our district Transportation facility so the Washington State Department of Health/Snohomish Health District could finish that investigation. Because our Transportation office was closed, we were unable to transport students.
The closure also allowed our custodial team to do some deep cleaning and disinfecting of our buses and the impacted district facilities. The disinfectant used in our bus fleet was applied as a spray. This spray is approved for use in schools and education, and has been widely used by other local agencies in their disinfection efforts.
Student transportation, school and classes across our district will resume on Wednesday, March 11.
Shorecrest High School in Shoreline
A Shorecrest staff member has a confirmed case of COVID-19. The staff member has not been at work since Thursday, March 5. Based on consultation and guidance provided by Public Health, any staff and students who are determined to have been in close contact with the staff member while the staff member exhibited symptoms will be notified and provided guidance.
Shorecrest will be closed Wednesday, March 11, to allow for a deep cleaning of the school. Shorecrest will reopen on Thursday, March 12. All other schools will be open and operating normally. If there is any change to this, we will make another announcement.