



UPDATE



As the death toll from the new coronavirus reached at least 31 in Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday ordered that all public and private K-12 schools in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties be closed for six weeks. The schools must close by March 17, Inslee said, and remain shuttered through April 24. Several school districts already announced they will close due to the outbreak. Seattle Public Schools with 53,000 students, closed beginning Thursday.



Here are other closures announced outside of the governor's required closures:



North Thurston Public Schools: All North Thurston Public Schools will close until April 24.



Olympia School District: Pioneer Elementary School will be closed Friday, March 13. All OSD schools will be closed beginning Monday, March 16. They will remain closed until further notice.



Muckleshoot Tribal School: Closed. All Muckleshoot Tribal Education programs will be closed March 13th through April 24th,

with the exception MCDC which will operate with a modified closure. (Effective tomorrow - Fri Mar 13th)



Read more here...









Previous story March 11 --



Several public schools, colleges and universities continue to close amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.



This list will be updated as more closures are announced or the affected institutions reopen:



Schools



Seattle Public Schools - Closed for two weeks beginning March 12.



The district announced the closure in a message sent to families.



"The decision to close the district was extremely difficult," the message said. "We know that closing our schools will impact our most vulnerable families and we recognize that working families depend on the consistency and predictability of supports and services our schools offer. We are working with partners and the city to determine how to best mitigate the impact closing schools will have on working families."



Lake Washington School District - The Lake Washington School District, the state's second-largest school district, is closing all schools from March 12-March 27.



"We know that many people rely on our school district for their ability to continue providing services to our community through their employers," the school district said. "We play an important role in the ability of many organizations to continue running for the health and safety of our community. This is not an easy decision, and our plans moving forward require additional planning and preparation."



Snohomish School District - All schools closed through April 24 beginning on Friday, March 13, the district said.



Monroe School District - Superintendent Dr. Fredrika Smith says the Monroe School District anticipates a 6-week closure beginning Friday, March 13. The closure would last through April 24.



Marysville School District - Closed for roughly a month starting Friday, March 13. Superintendent Jason Thompson says schools will be closed through "at least what was originally Spring Break, through April 12."



Edmonds School District - Closed beginning Monday, March 16 through at least Friday, April 10. Friday, March 13 was already a scheduled day off for students but staff members will report to work, Superintendent Dr. Kristine McDuffy said in a letter to families.



Lakewood School District - Closed starting Thursday, March 12. Superintendent Scott Peacock said in a letter to families and staff that the district anticipates being closed for 6 weeks, through April 24.



Tacoma Public Schools - Four schools in Tacoma have closures this week after individuals tested "presumptive positive" for coronavirus at Sheridan Elementary, Lowell Elementary and Wilson High School.



Administrators said this is in addition to the presumptive positive test that forced the closure of Mary Lyon Elementary.



"The decision to close schools is not taken lightly. We know that family schedules often revolve around students. We also understand that this news can be upsetting," administrators wrote in the letter. "We will be in close communication with the health department and will communicate with you any additional information or guidance they provide."



According to Tacoma Public Schools:






Mercer Island School District - Thursday, March 12, will be a regular school day. All MISD schools will be closed to students beginning Friday, March 13. Thursday, March 12, students should collect and bring home learning materials that they might need as well as any personal items they might want while schools are closed. The duration of this closure is uncertain but could extend for five to six weeks.



Shoreline School District - All schools closed from Thursday, March 12 through at least March 27.



"This includes the cancellation of all out-of-district transportation and athletic practices and competitions," Superintendent Rebecca Miner said in a letter to parents. "All school offices will be open tomorrow, Thursday, March 12, to allow for parents, students and staff to be able to retrieve medication and other essential personal items that they need to have with them while schools are closed. Beginning Friday, all staff access to the schools will be limited to administrators and maintenance/operations staff."



Bainbridge Island School District - Closed Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13.



Everett Public Schools - Closed for at least 14 days starting Monday, March 16.



Bellevue School District - Closed beginning Friday, March 13. The closure is expected to extend through March 27, the district said.



Northshore School District - Closed for 14 days starting March 5. School sites closed, but online learning is in place.



Stanwood Camano School District - The Stanwood Camano School District said it would close all schools beginning Wednesday, March 11 through the rest of the week.



Sultan School District - The Sultan School District will be closed to students beginning Friday, March 13 and extending through Friday, April 10 due to COVID-19 concerns. No out of district transportation.



Colleges and Universities



University of Washington - Switched to remote learning and online classes on March 9. The campus remains open, but in-person classes are canceled through March 20.



Seattle University - Switched to remote learning and online classes on March 9. The campus remains open, but in-person classes are canceled through March 20.



Washington State University - All campuses in the Washington State University system will transition from face-to-face classes, testing, and advising to distance delivery beginning on Monday, March 23, following WSU’s spring break. WSU’s five physical campuses and other locations across the state will remain open during this period to provide for continued business operations. On the Pullman campus, residential, dining and healthcare facilities will remain open. Employees will report to work as normal.



Western Washington University - There will be no face-to-face classes as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 11, through the end of the quarter on March 20. Faculty will provide exams online, or make other arrangements, including the possibility of a final grade based on work completed. The university will remain open. Students can remain on campus if they choose. Classes are set to resume on March 31, after Spring Break, pending any further guidance from public health.



Seattle Pacific University - Seattle Pacific University will complete Winter Quarter classes and finals online beginning Monday, March 9, through Thursday, March 19.



In a memo to the SPU community, President Dan Martin announced that beginning March 9 classes and finals will not be held in person. Faculty are working to best determine how to finish class instruction and conduct finals so that students will be able to complete the quarter. Campus offices and services will remain open and on a normal schedule to accommodate employees and students living on campus.



Bellevue College - Bellevue College (BC) is proactively transitioning to online classes and exams through the rest of the winter quarter, which ends March 20. While classes will be online, the campus will remain open with a reduced staff presence as employees are encouraged to telework.



Bates Technical College - Closed Wednesday, March 11, for deep-cleaning



Skagit Valley College - Classes will resume on Wednesday, March 11 via remote delivery methods and will continue in this manner through the end of Winter Quarter; Winter Quarter Finals also will be administered via remote delivery methods; All College locations will be closed to students and the general public from Monday, March 9 through Sunday, March 15.



Shoreline Community College - beginning Tuesday, March 10, the majority of classes will discontinue meeting in person and will continue online for the remainder of the quarter (through March 25). Instructors have been asked to conduct classes and exams remotely, wherever possible, with some exceptions. Instructors will be contacting their students to make arrangements for online instruction or for continuing the course in person.



Seattle Colleges - Beginning Monday, March 9, Seattle Colleges is moving from in-person classroom instruction to the appropriate alternative modality for each class, when and where possible. This includes satellite locations and will continue through the end of the Winter Quarter (March 25). The move is in accordance with the COVID-19 recommendations from Public Health ­­— Seattle and King County to reduce large numbers of people coming together at the same time.



Classroom and instructional staff will make local decisions about which modes to employ for each particular course. Colleges and instructors will send more detailed information soon.



No Classes Monday, March 9, for Faculty Prep; Instructional Resources, Business and Student Services Remain Open



There will be no classes on Monday, March 9. Instead, faculty and staff will use the day to adapt their coursework to the alternative formats and communicate with students. Classes will resume Tuesday, March 10, reflecting the instructional changes.



All student and business services will remain open and maintain regular business hours and students are welcome on campus to use the services as necessary.



Lake Washington Institute of Technology - Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech) is moving to remote operations until March 20.