When dismissal bells rang in Orange County schools Friday afternoon, March 13, almost a half-million students returned home not just for the next two days but for the next two weeks — or even more.

In a conference call Friday morning, Orange County Superintendent Al Mijares told district representatives that he supported the closure of all 615 public schools – pre-K through grade 12 – as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus.

As a light rain falls, students leave El Modena High School in Orange on Friday afternoon, March 13, 2020. Orange County Superintendent Al Mijares supported the closure of all 615 public schools, pre-K through grade 12, for a minimum of two weeks as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A students passes by the El Modena High School sign on E. Spring Street in in Orange at the end of school on Friday afternoon, March 13, 2020. Orange County Superintendent Al Mijares supported the closure of all 615 public schools, pre-K through grade 12, for a minimum of two weeks as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Students make their way across E. Spring Street in front of El Modena High School in Orange as they leave school on Friday afternoon, March 13, 2020. Orange County Superintendent Al Mijares supported the closure of all 615 public schools, pre-K through grade 12, for a minimum of two weeks as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

As a light rain falls, students make their way across E. Spring Street in front of El Modena High School in Orange as they leave school on Friday afternoon, March 13, 2020. Orange County Superintendent Al Mijares supported the closure of all 615 public schools, pre-K through grade 12, for a minimum of two weeks as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Students cross E. Spring Street in front of El Modena High School in Orange at the end of school on Friday afternoon, March 13, 2020. Orange County Superintendent Al Mijares supported the closure of all 615 public schools, pre-K through grade 12, for a minimum of two weeks as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)



“We do not yet know how this will ultimately impact our county,” Mijares said in a statement.

The county’s 27 districts held emergency board meetings throughout the day, each deciding to pull the plug on face-to-face lessons.

Most school districts carved out two or three weeks for the hiatus, at which point they will make reassessments based on the advice of health officials.

But some, including Santa Ana Unified and Garden Grove Unified, will shut their doors for four weeks, planning to reopen April 13 after their scheduled spring breaks the week prior.

The timing of spring break has been both beneficial and disadvantageous for districts, depending on if the vacation happens to fall within the next two weeks.

Tustin Unified’s spring break begins Monday, March 16, so officials did not have to scramble quite as frantically Friday to hammer out plans.

“We have a little wiggle room,” said spokesman Mark Eliot.

Most districts will transition to “distance learning” – via online instruction and pen-and-paper workbooks.

In recent days, Orange County schools have been preparing for what seemed the inevitable.

“While it is not possible to replace an instructional day or provide comprehensive course content with online resources or take-home packets, we can develop resources and strategies to provide a continuity of learning,” Mijares said.

Santa Ana Unified assigns laptops to students third grade and up, but many of its families cannot afford internet service. “Our schools are busily compiling instructional packets,” Deputy Superintendent Alfonso Jimenez said Thursday.

Los Angeles Unified School District and San Diego Unified School District also announced Friday they would close schools beginning Monday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has balked at a statewide closure of schools, partly because of the impact on working parents.

“If you are a caregiver, a police officer, firefighter, emergency room doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner, and you have kids, you may have no capacity to have those kids at home without your own presence being there,” he said at a briefing on Thursday. “You are then no longer a part of the workforce.”

Each district will determine separately whether to – and how to – offer childcare for students whose parents and guardians must work, said Orange County Department of Education spokesman Fermin Leal.

“This decision has not been made lightly, as we are aware of the far-reaching impact school closures will have on our families, staff, and community,” Crystal Turner, superintendent for Saddleback Valley Unified, said in a statement.

Another hurdle will be providing nutrition to at-risk children.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved requests from Washington state and California to let schools distribute meals to students at locations on and off campus in the event classes are closed. The waiver will last through June 30.

Orange County schools will continue to provide free and reduced-price lunches — either on campus or at sites such as community centers — for students who qualify. Details must still be worked out, Leal said.

“Sadly, in many ways, this pandemic is showcasing some of the challenges we face in our schools every day,” E. Toby Boyd, president of the California Teachers Association, said in a statement Friday.

Daniela Ward, whose son Damarian is a junior at University High in Irvine, said she is unhappy with the district’s decision to close schools.

“I think everyone is overreacting,” Ward said. “There aren’t many cases of coronavirus in Orange County. Now kids are just going to go out and spread their germs in other public places, like malls and movie theaters.”

On the other hand, her son and his friends “are thrilled with this arrangement,” she said.

“They think it’s vacation. Even if the kids do schoolwork from home, it’s not going to be a great education. We’re heading into a wasted three weeks.”

However, county and district officials expressed an urgency in confronting the coronavirus epidemic.

“Simply put,” Mijares said, “we are in uncharted waters, and the time has come to hit the pause button until we know more.”