Schools Close For Rest Of Year

Schools in Missouri will remain closed for the remainder of this school year due to the covid19 outbreak, Gov. Mike Parson announced April 9.

On the McDonald County Schools website, Superintendent Mark Stanton said in a letter that the school district is “committed to continue providing meals and virtual academic lessons to students through the remainder of the school calendar.”

He also noted, “We are placing safeguards in place to protect students’ academic advancement during this unforeseen school closure. Please know students will not be penalized for the time they are out of the classroom. Elementary students will be promoted to the next grade level when we return to school in the fall. High school students will be awarded credit for the courses they are passing this semester. Currently, teachers are reaching out to students who are not passing a class and providing opportunities for students to raise their grades and earn the credit via

virtual instruction.”

Stanton further stated that, while all school activities are canceled for the remainder of the school year, he intends to hold a graduation ceremony at some point after the social distancing restrictions are lifted. He said until the statewide stay-at-home order is lifted, all buildings and campuses will remain closed to students and staff. After the social distancing measures are removed, schools will be reopened and students and staff will be able to schedule times to retrieve their personal items, he said.

The McDonald County Health Department reported Monday the fourth case of covid-19 in the county. The case was not travel-related, and all contacts with the person were being notified. Two of the cases have recovered, and two are still active.

On Tuesday afternoon, the state of Missouri had 4,686 cases of covid-19 with 133 deaths.