***Updated*** Coronavirus Closings And Cancellations In Delaware Education, General Assembly Update, State of Emergency Declared

Saturday the 14th Update: They are all closed as per Governor Carney’s order yesterday, from March 16th to March 27th, with a tentative reopening date of March 30th.  I’m going to give a 25% chance of schools reopening on the 30th.  A lot of it will depend on how Covid-19 spreads in the coming weeks.

Friday the 13th Update:

Nothing has been made official yet but I’m hearing from many parents in New Castle County that students are being asked to take home any belongings.  School nurses are calling parents to let them know kids are bringing medicine home that would normally be stored with the school nurse.  There is confusion about a potential positive case of Coronavirus which prompted Providence Creek Academy to close today and it may or may not be affiliated with a visit to Polytech which dismissed at 11:30am today.

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As the Coronavirus has now afflicted four people in Delaware, we can only assume those numbers will increase.  Now is not the time to panic but it should be a time to prepare.  Be prepared for your child’s school closing.  Be prepared and ready to make sure your under-age child or children have adequate supervision, especially for working parents.

The following list is for schools that have announced closure or cancellation of activities due to the ongoing Coronavirus.  With Delaware surrounded by so many states, it was only a matter of time.  And there will be more.  To get up to date information from the State of Delaware with how many cases there are and how many pending, please go here.

Most school districts sent home letters with students with a basic preparedness plan earlier this week.  There seems to be a tiered level where things can change and events or school is canceled.  Last Monday there was an emergency meeting at the Delaware Department of Education which was attended by superintendents, DSEA, Governor Carney, Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Susan Bunting, and other public education affiliates.

As major cancellations across the country are going down, like the cancellation of the NBA, NCAA, NHL, and possibly MLB, folks in Delaware wondering why schools aren’t shutting down.  It’s coming.  One of the major concerns at the big education meeting earlier this week was how it would work.  Doing it after the 3rd marking period ends would make more sense with closing schools down the rest of the school year.  And yes, that is a possibility.

What came out of this meeting was the guidance parents are getting this week.  This is being issued at a state level.  The following screenshot from Lake Forest School District can be currently found on most school district websites:

Many districts are sending surveys to parents to find out about wi-fi and computer capabilities from home.  I received one yesterday from my son’s school district in Capital.

If you hear of any closings please email me at kevino3670@yahoo.com and I will update this post if given viable information.  Thank you!

Brandywine School District: All events open to the public are canceled, no field trips, all volunteer programs canceled, from March 13th to April 9th

Charter School of Wilmington: School closed as of March 16th, cyber schedule to begin on March 18th

Christina School District: All events open to the public are canceled, no field trips, all volunteer programs canceled, until further notice

Colonial School District: All events open to the public are canceled, no field trips, all volunteer programs canceled, from March 13th to April 9th

Delaware Military Academy: All events open to the public are canceled with attendance of 25 or more people, no field trips

Delmar School District: Closed today (March 13th) for disinfecting, already closed Monday March 16th for professional development

Early College High School: will go to online instruction until April 5th, no school-sponsored activities until April 6th, closure brought on by Del State doing the same as ECHS academic activities are tied into Del State.

Eastside Charter School: Professional Development Day moved from March 27th to March 20th, school closed that day

Greak Oaks Charter School: closed until March 16th due to employee in Community Education Building possibly being exposed

Kuumba Academy: closed until March 16th due to employee in Community Education Building possibly being exposed

Lake Forest School District: High School musical Mama Mia scheduled for 3/13 and 3/14 have been postpones, father-daughter dance scheduled for 3/21 postponed until 5/15, all extra-curricular meetings and events postpones, no sports teams having scrimmages or competitions, all field trips canceled

Las Americas ASPIRA Academy: not closed but several events have been canceled-

• MS Excellence Celebration (3/16) – Postponed
• 8th grade parent meeting (3/18) – Postponed
• Talent show auditions and talent show (3/18, 3/19, 3/20 and 3/27) – Cancelled
• 3rd grade biography, parents invited (3/20) – Postponed
• New students orientation (3/23 and 3/31) – Postponed (summer dates TBD)
• Science Olympiad Potluck (3/26) – Postponed
• Middle school dance (3/27) – Postponed
• PTO sponsored movie (3/28) – Postponed
• Vocabulary parade (3/30) – will take place in homerooms (without parents)

Laurel School District: closed March 12th and March 13th, tentative to reopen on March 16th

MOT Charter School: all after-school activities canceled until further notice

New Castle County Vo-Tech: all non-athletic events open to the public are canceled, no field trips, from March 14th to April 9th

Newark Charter School: closed from March 16th for two weeks

Odyssey Charter School: delayed opening on March 16th

Polytech: All field trips canceled including Senior trip to Disney World

Providence Creek Academy: closed today (March 13th) and Monday (March 16th) with the following statement from the school:

Providence Creek Academy Leadership was notified this morning that someone secondarily connected with PCA is in the process of being tested and treated for COVID-19.  While this case has not been confirmed, we believe it will be later today.  In an abundance of caution, we are closing school today until we are able to speak with the Division of Public Health which opens at 8:30.  I apologize for the short notice.  The health and safety of our children and faculty is our first priority.  I will send out more information today as soon as I speak with DPH.   

ALL Delaware Catholic schools: closed March 16th-March 27th

St. Anne’s Episcopal School (Middletown, private school): will be closed on March 16th and 17th, classes resume March 18th

Red Clay Consolidated School District: all after-school activities canceled until further notice, all events open to the public are canceled, no field trips, all volunteer programs canceled, from March 13th to April 9th

Woodbridge School District: All out-of-state field trips canceled

Delaware Division of Rehabilitative Services: all visitation for level IV and V secure facilities temporarily suspended, includes New Castle County Detention Center, Stevenson House Detention Center, Ferris School and Residential Cottages

Delaware State Board of Education: student forum in New Castle scheduled for March 14th is now postponed

Delaware State University: will go to online instruction until April 5th

Delaware Technical Community College: Spring Break extended until March 23rd

University of Delaware: closed March 12th and 13th, Spring Break begins March 14th, goes to online instruction on March 23rd until further notice

Widener University: all in-person classes suspended as of March 12th, classes will begin online on March 19th, all non-essential extra-curricular events canceled until April 4th, all students living on campus MUST move out by Sunday March 15th and take ALL personal items with them and hand in their room keys

Wilmington University: all classes moved online on March 16th until further notice, all in-person events canceled from March 14th until further notice

While not an actual school, the Delaware General Assembly just announced they are suspending their return to legislative session next week:

Legislative Session for the Week of March 17 Postponed

Future return to session will be re-evaluated weekly

DOVER – In response to growing concerns about the Coronavirus pandemic, House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf and Senate President Pro Tempore David McBride announced Thursday that the Delaware General Assembly is postponing next week’s legislative session.

The legislature was scheduled to return from its break for Joint Finance Committee hearings on March 17, but the spread of COVID-19 and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and Delaware public health officials prompted this proactive decision.

“After careful consideration and consultation with various state agencies, we believe delaying our return is the right decision to ensure the safety of our staff, fellow lawmakers and members of the public who visit Legislative Hall when we are in session,” Rep. Schwartzkopf and Sen. McBride said in a joint statement.

“At this moment, our postponement will extend until March 24. However, we will carefully monitor the spread of COVID-19 in Delaware and across the country, and we will re-evaluate when to return to session on a weekly basis. As we have said before, this is a rapidly shifting situation and we must remain flexible based on the changing circumstances.”

Effective Friday, Legislative Hall will be closed to the public. There will be no tours, and any meetings scheduled for the following week will also be postponed.

Approximately 600 people – staff, legislators, lobbyists, press and members of the public – visit Legislative Hall on an average session day. This far exceeds the 250-person guideline recommended by public health officials. Experts also are recommending that people practice social distancing, which is a difficult proposition in a building such as Legislative Hall.

Missed session days are not unprecedented. In the past, the General Assembly has canceled a limited number of session days due to inclement weather. These missed days will be treated in a similar fashion. Discussions about how to proceed with the remainder of session will be ongoing and developing as the situation unfolds.

Meanwhile, Delaware Governor John Carney issued a State of Emergency:

Emergency declaration allows for broad coordination of state agencies to respond to outbreak

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Thursday issued a State of Emergency declaration

to prepare for the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). The State of Emergency directs the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) and the Delaware Department of Health & Social Services’ Division of Public Health to mobilize state agency resources to assist with Delaware’s response to the virus.

The declaration becomes effective at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, March 13, 2020.

Governor Carney’s emergency declaration also:

• Requires the Delaware National Guard to take precautionary and responsive actions to assist with Delaware’s response to the coronavirus;
• Advises event organizers in Delaware to cancel non-essential public gatherings of 100 people or more, to prevent community spread of coronavirus;
• Allows the State of Delaware to conduct public meetings electronically to prevent unnecessary public gatherings;
• Prohibits price gouging, or an excessive price increase of goods or services, during the coronavirus outbreak.

“We are taking this situation extremely seriously,” said Governor Carney. “We have been expecting positive cases in Delaware, and for the last two months we have prepared our state’s response in close coordination with the experts at the Delaware Division of Public Health and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency. Today’s emergency declaration will make sure we have the authority and resources necessary to effectively prevent the spread of this virus.

“There are things every Delawarean can do to stay healthy. Wash your hands. Cover your cough. Stay home from work or school if you are sick. It’s especially important for at-risk populations, specifically elderly Delawareans, to avoid large gatherings. And we’re advising Delaware organizations to cancel large, non-essential public events to prevent community spread of the coronavirus. We will continue to respond aggressively to this situation in close coordination with state and federal public health experts.”

Governor Carney’s emergency declaration WILL NOT:

• Require schools or businesses to close their facilities;
• Implement any driving restrictions in Delaware;
• Close state office buildings.

On Wednesday, Governor Carney and the Delaware Department of Human Resources issued guidance

to state employees about coronavirus and potential impacts on the state workforce. Full-time and casual/seasonal state employees may be eligible for 14 or 30 days of Paid Emergency Leave if they are forced to miss work due to a coronavirus impact, or to care for a family member.

Costs related to diagnostic testing for coronavirus (COVID-19) will be waived for Delaware families who are covered by the state’s health plan.

Delawareans with questions about COVID-19 or their exposure risk can call the Division of Public Health’s Coronavirus Call Center at 1-866-408-1899 or TTY at 1-800-232-5460 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or email DPHCall@delaware.gov

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For the latest on Delaware’s response, visit de.gov/coronavirus.