OLYMPIA — Schools in Washington state will remain physically closed for the remainder of the school year while more than 1.2 million public and private K-12 students continue distance learning at least until mid-June due to the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Monday.

Schools have been shut statewide since March 17 and were initially scheduled to reopen April 27. That was extended until June 19 — when the spring term ends — and schools were encouraged to continue distance learning.

The order also asks schools to start planning for a potential expansion of the closures into the summer and fall, though Gov. Jay Inslee said officials would explore whether it was possible to bring students back for graduation later in the year.

Schools Superintendent Chris Reykdal said the decision was tough, but the risks of returning students to school too soon were high due to the pandemic.

“A rush back to school puts significant risk in learning continuity that at this time would not be better than the model we are developing and advancing at a distance,” he said. “We do not want that curve to suddenly spike up because we acted too quickly to come back.”