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Gov. Mike Parson ordered Thursday that all public schools remain closed for the rest of the 2019-20 year as part of ongoing efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.

No school buildings will reopen to the public in April or May — as many districts initially planned — but they can be used to provide child care and grab-and-go school meals.

Parson sought input from superintendents and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education before making the call. A growing number of states, including Oklahoma and Kansas, previously canceled the rest of the school year.

Nearly all area districts schedule their final day in the last two weeks of May, and Parson told districts to conclude the 2019-20 year "on the date previously set on their academic calendar."

However, schools are expected to continue remote learning until that final day.

"Today is a sad day for Missouri educators, students and their families. The teachers and support staff of Springfield Public Schools miss seeing our students face-to-face," said Superintendent John Jungmann.

"But we want what is best for them, always, and we know that today’s decision is necessary. Governor Parson has acted in the best interests of our community, region and state. We remain committed to connecting with families through SPS At Home and to learning together — wherever we are."

Margie Vandeven, the state's commissioner of education, said the coronavirus pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges. Many districts, including Springfield, have been closed since spring break.

She said the recommendation to close "was not made lightly."

"This decision was made to continue protecting the health and safety of our students and school staff members," she said.

"We know maybe now more than ever just how important our public schools are, how critical the services are that they provide their local communities and how important the work is that educators do each day for our children."

Vandeven said school will continue in homes and buildings will be used, in limited ways, to provide critical help to families.

She praised educators for finding creative and innovative ways to teach online and with assignment packets.

"We see some schools mailing or delivering to the front doorsteps packages to students who may not have access to technology or the internet," she said, "while other teachers and students are learning to navigate video-conferencing software to deliver and receive instruction."

She added: "We cannot applaud these educators enough as well as our families at home for stepping up to the plate to make learning a possibility amid this new normal."

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Vandeven said students, school employees and families likely have questions regarding the closure that do not yet have answers.

Those questions include: "What should districts do about summer school? What will the re-entry to school look like? How will this impact graduating seniors? What can be done to address the broadband internet issues that we experience across parts of our state?"

She said DESE will work with districts and the governor's office to make decisions and then provide the details.

To help school leaders navigate the closure, she said efforts will be made to remove barriers, simplify processes, and waive state statutes and regulations.

"I've never been more proud to be a Missouri educator. My colleagues in our department and in the 555 districts and charter schools across our state are working tirelessly to serve the students we love so much and we'll keep at it for the weeks to come."

Area superintendents discussed the closure in a conference call Thursday. Springfield and surrounding districts have issued joint decisions this spring in an effort to minimize the impact on families who may live in one city but work in another.

Nixa Superintendent Gearl Loden said educators are sad students will not finish the year in classrooms but believes Parson made the right choice.

"I look forward to ending the school year in an innovative way through online learning and other alternative methods," he said.

Loden said Nixa will focus on ramping up learning options for the summer to make sure students are on track for the 2020-21 year.

"We believe that summer school will be more critical than ever before to meet the needs of our students," he said.

Parson acknowledged the decision may be difficult for students in the Class of 2020, including his granddaughter.

"For you seniors out there, I understand how disappointing this will be to not be able to have that graduation ceremony," he said. "But, let me assure you this, we will work with DESE, we will work the superintendents across the state to make sure you get the opportunity to walk down that aisle and receive that diploma at some point within the remainder of this year."

He added: "We will try to make that happen. I know you've worked hard for 12 years."

In Springfield, the final day of school will be May 21. And more details, including how the Class of 2020 commencement will be handled, are coming soon.

'SPS has already reached out to our seniors and their families to gather feedback on the alternative options they prefer," Jungmann said. "We will make an announcement about graduation, the last day for seniors, Explore summer learning, and implications for other year-end milestones by the end of next week."

More:Senior year interrupted: Area teens say changes are surreal, 'like a nightmare'

The district, which provides a Google Chromebook for each student in grades 3-12 and access to technology for the earlier grades, resumed classes March 30 either online or through packets.

Jungmann said the following services will continue through the end of this school year:

Serving grab-and-go breakfast and lunch via carline each weekday at schools. Since March 30, the district has served more than 180,000 meals;

Providing child care for health care workers and emergency responders;

Delivering 2,000 Wi-Fi hotspots by early next week, at an investment of more than $370,000, to help ensure all students are able to continue learning remotely.

Claudette Riley is the education reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to criley@news-leader.com and consider supporting vital local journalism by subscribing. Learn more by visiting News-Leader.com/subscribe.