Butte County schools to keep campuses closed through May 1
CHICO » Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all kindergarten through 12th grade public school campuses in Butte County will remain closed for in-person education through May 1.
Although online classes resumed Monday, Butte County Office of Education Superintendent Mary Sakuma announced that Butte County school campuses will remain closed for in-person instruction “at least through May 1, 2020.”
“In consideration of the ( President Donald Trump’s) announcement to the nation that he was extending the Stay At Home Guidance to the end of April, along with (Gov. Gavin Newsom’s) ongoing order to shelter in place, and in consultation with statewide and local school leaders, it was clear that this is the appropriate decision,” Sakuma wrote in a news release Tuesday. “With more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our county, our state and our nation, now more than ever, we need to heed the stay at home/shelter in place orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
Sakuma expressed the importance of students staying engaged with their teachers and their schools through online learning.
“I’m so proud of the work that our teachers and staff members throughout the county are doing to provide robust learning opportunities to our students,” she wrote. “This has been a very quick transition, but I know that our school teams are up for the challenge.”
In a statement on the Chico Unified School District website, Superintendent Kelly Staley wrote, “Our world changed in unimaginable ways in an incredibly short period of time. However, as Butte County has proven several times now, we live in a strong community with experience addressing even the most difficult of challenges. We are all in this together, and we will come out of this with yet another show of resilience.”
Mental heath services
Butte County Office of Education has partnered with Chico Unified School District to use Care Solace, an online resource for opportunities for mental health services, resources, and virtual therapy options. More information on these services will be available on the BCOE website Wednesday.
Food, nutrition services
Meals for students will continue to be distributed throughout the county, with each district’s website and Facebook page updated for current distribution locations, days and times for meal distribution. Depending on the school, some families will be able to pick up meals twice a week for multiple days. More information is available on the Butte County Office of Education website bcoe.org as well as a map of distribution locations.