Leon County Schools announced Friday afternoon that K-12 schools will be closed one additional week past spring break due to coronavirus concerns.

The district says it will "tentatively" return to school Monday, March 30.

"We will figure out all the specifics later," LCS Communications Coordinator Chris Petley said, minutes after the announcement was made.

The order comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Department of Education as the coronavirus pandemic spreads throughout the U.S.

The move will set parents scrambling to find options for the extra week, while navigating their own unsettled work situations. As school districts and universities around the state closed during the week, Leon County's public school officials put off making the nuclear decision.

Beginning Saturday, after-school activities are canceled "indefinitely," according to the district.

"The safety of our students, employees and community will always be our top priority," Petley wrote in an email Friday to schools, announcing the change.

He added: "Leadership will continue to meet to plan for how this decision will impact employees and students who rely on the district for meals and more. We will update you with information as we receive it."

He asked that parents and students update contact information in the school district's FOCUS app "as soon as possible."

On Thursday, Superintendent Rocky Hanna pointed to child hunger as a top argument for his decision not to close.

Roughly 14,300 of the 34,000 students in Leon County public schools qualify for free or reduced-rate lunches because of their families' financial circumstances.

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"Parents have jobs and our children need to be fed every single day," he said. "Some of the only meals our kids are getting are breakfast and lunch at school."

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried encouraged all school districts to provide meals throughout the closure in a late Friday email.

The state's agricultural department funds Florida's school lunch program through $1.3 billion in federal funding. School district that wish to participate in the department's program will submit letters of intent to the agency.

“We are working closely with school districts to ensure that students have access to healthy, nutritious meals while schools are closed due to COVID-19,” Fried said in a statement.

At the local school district level, details needing to be ironed out include whether to transition to online teaching formats. The superintendent has said earlier this week all students going online is not a feasible option for the district.

The district also will have to decide how to get students through graduation, though at prior School Board meetings, district officials have indicated students' college ambitions will not be affected by potential closures.

So far, COVID-19 seems not to be affecting children and teens, though they can easily transmit the disease to older populations.

District and school administrators will meet in the coming days to decide on a plan forward.

"This is a very fluid situation, and this is the time for leadership," Hanna told the Democrat Friday evening.

"I've challenged all my principals to stand up and lead by example, and calmly and together, we will get through this."

Contact CD Davidson-Hiers at CDavidsonH@Tallahassee.com, or follow her on Twitter @DavidsonHiers for news about education in Leon County and Florida.

FULL STATEMENT FROM LCS:

"Following new CDC guidance, per an order by the Governor and Commissioner of Education, all school districts in the State of Florida will be closed for 2 weeks.

"For Leon County Schools, this means one week of Spring Break and one additional week following. We will tentatively return to school on Monday, March 30th.

"All after school activities will also be cancelled indefinitely starting tomorrow.

"The safety of our students, employees and community will always be our top priority.

"Leadership will continue to meet to plan for how this decision will impact employees and students who rely on the district for meals and more. This is a very fluid situation and we will update you with information as we receive it.

"Please update your contact information on the FOCUS App as soon as possible.

"For the latest updates check out the district's web page: leonschools.net/covid19."

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