Courtesy of the San Benito County Office of Education:
Dear Families of San Benito County,
The safety and wellness of students, families, and school personnel are the highest priorities for all San Benito County schools and districts as we continue to monitor the active cases in San Benito County. During this time, when things are changing quickly, we are committed to continue to provide accurate, timely information to our families about school closures and the education of students in our community. This morning, Superintendents from each district and the San Benito County Office of Education are recommending extending San Benito County Schools closure through May 1, 2020. Additionally, staff from each district will continue to provide curriculum for students while students are out of school. Each district will also continue to provide meals for our students across the county.
District School Boards will be convening next week to discuss the recommendation to extend school closures as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Again, the recommendation from the collaborative this morning will be to close all schools through May 1, 2020. Each Superintendent will communicate directly to their students, staff and families with details about school closures, along with specific directions and details about curriculum and educational activities so students can continue their education.
We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we continue to keep our school community safe. We are grateful to community members throughout our county for their tremendous efforts during these challenging times. As we are seeing an increase of COVID-19 cases in San Benito County, we are strongly recommending that students and families follow the County’s Public Health Officer’s directive to stay home, wash hands, and practice social distancing. We are asking that if you have to go to the store for necessities, that you send one person and not the entire family. We are making this strong recommendation as the COVID-19 cases are increasing in San Benito County. The only way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, is to stay home, only go out when necessary, social distant (6 feet apart), and wash your hands often.
Protecting public health requires a community-wide response, and we need the help of families to remain united in our response. While children have not been shown to be a high-risk group for serious illness from COVID-19, they are still able to transmit the virus to populations who are most vulnerable to serious illness, such as older adults and those with compromised immune systems. Please stay at home! In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we must follow the guidelines from Public Health.
This continues to be a dynamic situation where information and circumstances can evolve quickly. For the latest updates, visit the Centers for Disease Control 2019 novel coronavirus website at: https://www.cdc.gov/COVID19. The San Benito County Office of Education continues to update its web page at https://www.sbcoe.org/. For local information, residents may visit https://hhsa.cosb.us/publichealth/communicable- disease/coronavirus/.
Sincerely,
Krystal Lomanto, County Superintendent of Schools
Michele Huntoon, Aromas San Juan Unified School District Superintendent
Candace Brewen, Bitterwater-Tully Elementary School District Superintendent/Principal Nancy MacLean, Cienega Elementary School District Principal/Teacher
Kevin Sved, Navigator Charter School Chief Executive Officer
Diego Ochoa, Hollister School District Superintendent
Elizabeth Volmer, Jefferson Elementary School District Principal/Teacher
Jennifer Bernosky, North County Joint Union School District Superintendent/Principal Amanda McCraw, Panoche Elementary School District Principal/Teacher
Shawn Tennenbaum, San Benito High School Superintendent
John Schilling, Southside Elementary School District Superintendent/Principal
Bronson Mendes-Lobue, Tres Pinos Elementary School District Superintendent/Principal Linda Smith, Willow Grove Elementary School District
