CRANFORD, NJ — The Cranford Schools will close on March 16 so that the district can make coronavirus preparations, according to a letter sent to parents by Superintendent Scott Rudin late Friday night.

At the end of this week, the state Department of Education posted rules for school closings in the event of an outbreak. They also suggested that students can still learn at home to meet the state's 180-day school requirement. While there hasn't been a health concern yet in the Cranford schools, they are closing to make preparations, such as designing lessons students can learn at home, and sanitizing the schools.

To make up for the loss, the district will change the March 30 single-session day to a full day. Other schools in the area are starting to make similar preparations. The Millburn schools announced Friday that they will work on "virtual lessons."

The letter sent out to Cranford parents late Friday evening said: Dear Parents/Guardians and Community members,

With the recently elevated discussion regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the news, we want you to know that we continue to closely monitor the situation and follow guidance from the CDC, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), the Township Health Officer, Mike Fitzpatrick, and the New Jersey Department of Education. There is currently NO recommendation to close schools in our area. However, we have been asked by the Department of Education to act with a precautionary set of protocols and to develop a plan should it become necessary for school closure where the day would still count as a school day for students. In other words, the physical school buildings would be closed, but students would maintain learning in one form or another. Please note, that the determination to close schools due to a public health-related issue is made by the NJDOH or the Township Health Officer.

It is important to be prepared and doing so should not correlate to increased concern. Therefore, please note that all Cranford Public Schools will now be closed for students on Monday, March 16th, so that we can develop strong and meaningful plans for your children in the event of school closures due to the coronavirus. We are also planning to use this time for additional disinfecting of all our buildings. Please also note, Monday, March 30, will now be a full school day. It is currently listed on the calendar as a single session day.

As always, the students and staff of Cranford are our number one priority and we want to do what is right for our students and be prepared should a public health-related school closure become necessary. As always, we will send important updates as necessary, but please remember to go to the CDC for any questions that you have concerning the Coronavirus and also check our website for updated information. Thank you and again, we would like to remind you of the recommended precautions for preventing the flu and other viruses: