When the governor says “closed,” it means Warren County School District is closed, no exceptions for students or parents.

The district (WCSD) has tried to answer questions concerning the COVID-19 school closure. But the most common answer seems to point to focusing on staying home and doing your part to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The closure begins Monday, March 16, for all K-12 Pennsylvania schools. Gov. Tom Wolf has determined schools will be closed for 10 business days (at a minimum), meaning if nothing changes, school will resume Monday, March 30.

While school is closed, no students or parents are permitted on school property and no school buildings will be open for any public use. Both district and school main offices will be staffed, but will not be open to the public. Parents can contact the office to make arrangements to pick up something that is medically necessary for their child.

At this time, the district is unaware if the closure will be extended. If the closure lasts as planned, the district will consider the first week back in class as completion of the third marking period, then shift to the fourth marking period following the fifth day back.

All school activities, including athletics, have either been postponed or cancelled. At this point, the district has no information regarding any changes in plans for prom or graduation. The district is unable to reschedule any events right now. Information regarding the spread of COVID-19, and the local, state and federal responses attempting to manage it, are moving too quickly to commit to rescheduling any events for the time being.

Regarding the school calendar, Gov. Wolf issued a statement that no school district will be penalized if it fails to meet the 180-day or school hour requirements. WCSD does not foresee a requirement to revise its school calendar, but that may change as time goes on and is seeking clarification regarding this issue.

Due to a lack of internet access to many WCSD students, the district simply can’t offer online learning during the closure to all students. Furthermore, WCSD 21st Century Programs will not be in session during the school closure.

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and Keystone testing requirements are unknown to the district at this time, but the district is receiving communications from the state.

To remain updated with more information regarding the WCSD school closure, students and parents can visit www.wcsdpa.org, or the district’s Facebook page.